Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1956-11-14
Rurul Electricity Big Aid To Farmers


81 These dollar-and-cents figure
: of the rural Identification stor.
would not be complete witt
} mention Of the people behins
slthe statistics. People giving tn
tistory its real meaning.
Take the family who a few
years ago were rejoicing because
they could discard their kero
Alsene lamps after the power
lines reached their farm home
,iFor them push-button lighting
!. an electric iron, and an electric
: refrigerator then probably seem
: ed the ultimate in luxury. To.
-lday this same family, TYPICAL,
would have house full Of elec.
!. trical equipment and would
5 probably be considering install.
ing an air-conditioning system
! an electrical range or a water
'Isystem If they have not already
!, done SO.
Then there Is the instance o.
the dairy farmer who has Gu
down his work and raised tn,
!, standard of his product by in.
|. Sailing electrical milking. cool,
ing, watering, and cleaning
equipment.
j These and similar cases, null.
ltiplied by the thousands, explain
the continually growing demand
for power in rural areas. The,
also explain why most REA Dor.
rowers have needed to improv,
and expand their electric sys.
TENS in order to deliver NOR,
power than contemplated il
Original plans.
\ Up to July l. 1856, REA hac
, approved electric loans totalin,
S3.2 billion to 1918 provid,
electric service to more than 4,
100000 rural consumers over a.
bout l,435,00O miles Of powe,
line.
REA electric borrowers hay,
Ichalkcd up splendid repay,
nCnt record on these loans L
late. BY July /. 1856, REA Dor.
.oAcrS had paid about S246, 600.
300 in interest and repaid NOR,
IAN Si93.O00.00O in principal OF
A@!r RcA loans. This included
nearly $4,000, 900 paid ahead o
chedulc as a cushion againS
future interest and principa
payments. Only about $4,000
IN loan payments was in arrCr:
more than 80 days. Farmers anC
the cooperative electric system.
they operated are good financial
risks.
Success of the electric loar
1rogram led Congress in 1919 t
assign to REA the task O
launching and directing a Simil,
n program to improve and in.
'rcaSc telephone service in rur.
al areas. From the start OF the
telephone loan program to Jul,
J.. 1856, REA approved a total o.
more than S3l2,O0O,OOO to l9t
telephone coorcrativeS and 27t
"'r0hOne companies. But that i.
another story.
Looking 10 the future. recen
..s."N conducted by REA show.
.@t electric borrowers plan e
orS'r-ct about Sl93. 100000
nth of new facilities durinl
nc 1857 fiscal year.
" lie the steady growth II
. r consumption by the aver.
age rural consumer has forced
many REA borrowers to heavy
up their lines, at the same time
1t has helped the power systems
increase their revenucs-and SC
strengthen their financial Gin
dition.
1t is good business alike for
the electric systems and for
their rural consumers when
these consumers make more and
better use Of electricity. Recog-
nizing this, most REA electric
borrowers have power-use edu-
ication programs and large per-
lcentage OF the systems have
employed Identification advis-
ors to help farm families use
electricity effectively in stream
lining their farm and home
chores.
Rural power systems also have
taken practical steps TO help
their consumers put this power
use know-how TO work. For ex-
ample, they have made loans to
finance farmstead wiring and
the purchase and installation Of
electrical equipment on farms
served by system 'ince. In fis-
N