MEET THE DIRECTORS 



Hanry Colby, V-Pret.; J. C. Lountberry; A. E. Huri*, tec'y-^r*"-; 

 W. H. Montgomery; Henry Graham; A. E. Backer, pret.; L W. Chal- 

 craft, farm adviser. Other members Arthur Moore, Carroll Stone, Her- 

 man Wlnlleman. 



Right: The board of directors with the men who helped plan 

 the lines. 



not interfere either with the rights of 

 the public in using the highway or with 

 the rights of the abutting property own- 

 ers, it appears that the highway depart- 

 ment can legitimately authorize the build- 

 ing of lines. 



Officers of the Menard Electric Co- 

 operative decided to set no poles until 

 the legality of their activities could be 

 established. They wasted no time after 

 the Attorney-Generals opinion had been 

 given. 



It was almost a year ago that the Men- 

 ard County Farm Bureau became actively 

 interested in rural electrification. It ap- 

 pointed a committee to study the pos- 

 sibilities of getting power to supply the 

 needs of farm folks in the county. After 

 a preliminary survey the committee re- 

 ported a lively, widespread interest in 

 rural electrification. Their survey showed 

 that the most logical place from which 

 to secure power is the municipal power 

 plant of the city of Springfield. Their 

 study revealed that it would be advisable 

 from the standf>oint of economy to serve 

 those Sangamon county farms which lie 

 along the prop)Osed line that would ex- 

 tend from the power plant into Menard 

 county. 



It was not long until farmers outside 

 Menard county heard of the project and 

 asked to be included. A new committee 

 was selected to organize the Menard 

 Electric Co-operative to serve members in 

 Menard, Sangamon, Cass, Logan and 

 Mason counties. 



A gigantic task faced the directors of 

 the fledgling co-op. First they were ex- 

 pected to make a contract with the city 

 of Springfield to supply power at whole- 

 sale rates. Then they were to find funds 

 with which to build the lines. Then too, 

 the great doubt of the legality of their 



enterprise still hung over them — a real 

 obstacle to be cleared away. 



Willis J. Spaulding, commissioner of 

 public property of Springfield, was told 

 of the plan to buy power at wholesale 

 prices. He liked it and at once became 

 active in arranging a suitable contract. 



Meanwhile the committee had found 

 nearly 400 possible patrons in Menard 

 and surrounding counties who could be 

 served on 120 miles of line. This is an 

 average of more than three patrons per 

 mile which is considered a favorable load 

 for economic operation and construction 

 of rural power lines. 



The committee next asked the Rural 

 Electrification Administration in Wash- 

 ington for a loan with which to con- 

 struct the line. They received a com- 

 mittment of $135,000 to complete the 

 project. This capital is to be paid back 

 in installments over a period of several 

 years from the profits obtained in opera- 

 tion of the line. 



In order to avoid the legal question 

 involved in placing poles along high- 

 ways, the committee secured easements 

 from the property owners along the 

 power lines which would allow the co-op 

 to set poles one foot off the highways. 

 The task of getting easements from more 

 than 300 persons was indeed an enor- 

 mous undertaking. Except in isolated 

 cases, every landowner granted permis- 

 sion to set poles at the edge of his fields. 



Bids for the construction of 120.1 

 miles of line were let. The Meade Elec- 

 tric Company of Chicago was the low 

 bidder with an offer of $111,001.52. 

 This company was ready to start the 

 project in December but they were not 

 allowed to begin until all legal obstacles 

 could be cleared away. 



MEMBER A. H. ROEGGE 

 "We don't need to be without currant — 



Young and Stanley, electrical engi- 

 neers of Muscatine, Iowa, planned the 

 lines. These men have been working on 

 REA projects in Illinois as well as in 

 Iowa. The Menard co-Of)erative profited 

 by their experience. 



Plans have been made which will en- 

 able patrons to buy all their electrical 

 equipment, fixtures and supplies co-oper- 

 atively through the Menard County Farm 

 Bureau. Lloyd W. Chalcraft, farm ad- 

 viser, says that if enough farmers de- 

 sire it, the Farm Bureau will take bids 

 for wiring homes. In this way wiring 

 costs can be cut to a minimum. W. E. 

 Wood, superintendent of construction 

 for the Meade Electric Company, states 

 that the lines will be ready to energize 

 around June 1 and asks that patrons have 

 their wiring ready to hook onto before 

 then if possible. 



The demands for service have been so 

 numerous that the co-operative has ap- 

 pUed for another loan of $140,000 from 



APRIL. 1937 



