The Chronicle star the Moss Point advertiser., 1950-01-20
Local Meetings
On Rural Phones
Set For County

More than rs persons attended
a meeting Saturday night at
Lucedale to discuss plans for a
rural telephone cooperative that
would serve east Jackson and
George counties.
The meeting was attended by
a large group of Jackson coun-
tians, and a series of local meet
ings were scheduled to be held
this week and next in the Hur-
ley Wade = Harleston : Big Point
area.
Bill IS Authority
Authority for organization of
rural telephone eo-operatives is
contained in the Poage bill, pass
ed at the last session of Congress,
which sets up long term loans at
low interest rates similar to the
Rural Identification Administra-
ton.
A second meeting at Lucedale
has been set for Saturday eve
ming. Feb. 4. at which time com
mittees will report on local and
area meetings. and the interest
shown in the proposed co-opera-
tive.
Jackson county now has no
rural telephone service except
along the populated coastal strip
and one line out of Biloxi serv-
ing approximately 20 customers
in al area adjacent to Harrison
county. Some time ago the board
of supervisors installed two-way
radio broadcasters at Vancleave
and Wade to give means of COM
munication to rural areas on the
east and west sides of the river
in times of emergency.
Work Date Indefinite
Plans for a 35-mile line out
of Ocean Springs to Vancleave
have been approved by the At
lanta office of Southern Bell, bu;
no definite date for starting the
work has been set.
1t was announced in August
of last year that the line would
be started in the last quarter oil
1949 and completed in the first
quarter of 1850. The line would
serve approximately 140 custom
ers. Surveys of potential customer
loads were made in east Jack
son county for Southern Bell last
year but no plans for telephone
service have been announced by
the company.
AT Saturdays meeting at Luce
dale. James Donaldson and Alvs
Rouse named temporary
chairmen of the telephone co,
op committee. Both are of Luce,
dale and Mr.. Rouse is chancery
and circuit court clerk.
d. O. Newman, Lawrence Golf
Edward Parker and M. B. Cum
best form a committee for the
Wade Hurley area and Swend
Larsen is heading a similar group
for the Harleston area.
Hold Local Meetings
Speakers at Saturdays meet
ing were Owen Moss, attorney for
the Singing River Electric Pow
er Coop, which would admins
ter the rural telephone eo-ops in
the five-county area served by
it, and j. T. Dudley, manager OF
the REA coop.
Under the federal rural tele-
phone bill, existing companie:
have preference, and loans viii
be made to mutual or co-opera.
tive associations only after ar
application from an existing com,
pany to serve the same area has
been considered and found not
to comply with requirements oil
the Act.
Area Coverage Important
An important consideration in
judging any loan application will
be the extent to which it will
provide phone service to the
widest practicable number OF
ruarl subscribers.
"REA has announced that the
funds for telephone facilities will
not be made available to rural
electric co-operatives," Mr.. Dud-
ley said. This mean that in
George and Jackson counties
funds must be borrowed by the
Southern Bell Company or a tele-
phone cooperative must be or
ganized to construct and operate
the rural lines.
IF Southern Bell does apply
for a loan they will. of course
have TO guarantee area coversge.
If they do not apply for Il loan
a newly organized cooperative
could obtain a loan as soon as
the application could be process
ed by REA."
Provisions OF the bill extends
loans up 10 IS years at an in
| terest rate Of tWo