304 Cooperation in Agriculture 



the services of some one who shall give his whole time to 

 seeing that the line and the instruments are kept in proper 

 repair, farmers' boys are found growing up in every country 

 community who take an interest in electrical and mechani- 

 cal methods, and who gladly devote themselves to this work 

 for a very moderate amount of cash payment, their ambi- 

 tion being to learn the methods of operating. 



"The operating expense of the telephone service is 

 likewise small. A switchboard placed in a farmer's house 

 and attended by the farmer's wife and daughters makes but 

 little demand upon the time of any one, and this service is 

 given for a minimum cash payment. The mere fact of 

 having the switchboard, the center of the farmers' group, 

 is often a source of sufficient pride to cause this work to 

 be done for nothing. 



"Thus it happens that in the earlier days of a farmers' 

 telephone system, when the plant is small and is carefully 

 looked after by the members of the association, the cost 

 of the service is very trifling. Later on the plant grows 

 old and deteriorates and requires more repairs. The num- 

 ber of subscribers increases, and the operators must spend 

 their entire time at the switchboard. Storms come, and 

 the partially worn-out plant succumbs more readily to the 

 weather. The result is that at the end of the year the 

 members of the association find that the expenses have 

 been greater than in previous years, and much larger than 

 they had ever figured on. This produces dissatisfaction, 

 but still the telephone service has become so indispensable 

 that it must be continued. When this stage has been 

 reached, the association usually feels obliged to become a 

 regular company and very often to consolidate with its 



