The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1943-01-28

SZOU TO reacn pracC1cally every memDer IN
the two counties of Ashe and Allegheny
every week. AS for the amount of bust
ness, it would be very small for us. In fact,
we paid the coop nearly twice that much
last year for elecric power service. Furth-
ermore, it cost the coop ~ cents alone per
copy to mail the recent special bulletin,
to say nothing of the paper, stencil and
labor costs involved. If 1000 copies were
for just one mailing
We, like other mountaineers, take a
man for his word and we don't like it
when he fails to live up to his word When
this happened, we started wondering why?
Later the expensive bulletin was stopped
and the explanation was given for both
was Economy" which is quite all right,
if that were true. But again we are told
that the data requested will be furnished
for publication. We asked for it in the
paper and by letter, but as yet it has not
been received. Due to the gasoline and
tire shortages, if for no other reason, we
do not think members should be required
to go way over to Lenoir, on the other
end of the project area, to get such infor
nation, but over there it seems we will
have to go.
AS pointed out before, vast sums of
money have been spent in establishing this
coop. It's borrowed money and has to be
paid back and we members are the ones
are not held to a minimum and if we get
behind with loan payments, rates will have
to be increased and we cannot afford to
pay higher rates and we don't think many
of the members can.
Perhaps we are getting along fine fl
nancially but as yet we don't know it. On
the board of directors from this county we
have four outstanding men and we have
much confidence in them. They are men
of ability character and integrity, but they
are busy men, extremely busy men and do
not have time, nor are they paid to look
after the day by day operation of the coop.
We also have confidence in them to keep
the members informed in the future. The
other directors are busy men, too, and as
a result, much of the responsibility for the
operation of the coop. for its success or
its failure, rests upon the superintendent.
That is big business -. million dollar
business, and every one of us will be af-
fected greatly by its success or its failure.
Many of the business practices shown
thus far by the superintendent do not i'm
press us. When the lines were built, why
weren't they built for our usual winter
weather in these mountains? Why were
the poles allowed to be put so far apart,
which result in sagging and Tapping that
cause disruption in service? Why were not
better materials used? Why haven't right
of-ways been cleared? Usually to get a
job done right, somebody representing the
owners has to look after it and see that
the job is done right at all times. Maybe
the engineers didn't realize how severe
winter weather up here can be, but some
body representing the coop should have
known and duly informed them. Of course
these things can be corrected, but why
should that have been necessary for man
who was supposed to know his business.
Certainly none of us knew anything about
and didn't pretend to. Neither did many
of the directors-they were working to get
it established. as were hundreds of Others
What we are interested in is getting
service, in getting any faults Of construc-
ton or materials corrected, in receiving
vital information about the financial op-
Grafton so that we will know what the out
look is and in modern business practices.
Our lights burn about the same amount
of time each month and until only recent
ly, the bills each month were about the
same but the bills for the past five months,