114 STATE OP MICHIGAN. 



POLEt^ FOR WIRE PURPOSES. 



r.Y J. B. ^^■AR^;, grand rapids. 



Until within rery recent years the Cedav Swamps of Michigan were 

 considered an almost inexhaustible source of supply for all poles needed 

 for wire purposes for this and adjoining states. 



The demand for cedar poles has been extraordinary during the past 

 five years, by reason of their demand for electric road, electric light, 

 telegraph and telephone purposes. 



From the annual ro])<>rts of telegraph and telephone companies filed 

 Avith the ,\uditor (ieneral of the State, from computations based upon 

 the raib'oad and electric road mileage, as shown by the railroad com- 

 missoner's reports; from an estimate of the poles used for electric light, 

 fire and police department in its municipalities, the following estimate 

 of the number of cedar poles now in use in ^lichigau is undoubtedly far 

 short of th(- actual number: 



Railroads 290,000 



Electric car lines 75,000 



Electric light and citr 00.000 



Telegraph .365,000 



Telephone 660,000 



Total poles 1,480,000 



Besides the post and railroad tie products, the iMichigan swamps have 

 for the past three years furnished more than 350,000 poles annually. 



Heretofore, the number of poles sent out of the State greatly ex- 

 ceeded the number used within its borders. With the supply about 

 equal to the demand, during the past eight years, the poles have more 

 than doubled in price, because the source of supply was rapidly getting 

 less. 



Estimates by practical cedar pole shippers and cedar timber owners, 

 as to the Michigan supply for future pole consumption, naturally vary, 

 but the writer, after some investigation, believes that there remain 

 uncut less than 700,000 cedar poles in the Slate, and one of the best 

 known pole men estimates but 400,000. Thus it is a question of but a 

 few years at most until ^Michigan's cedar for poles will be entirely ex- 

 hausted. Then what? 



The tele{)lione companies, as will be seen hy the ahoxe table, now 

 own the greatest number of poles in use. The business, from the pole 

 standpoint, has been largely developed in a majority of the cities, towns 

 and villages of the State, and the independent telephone companies have 

 developed to a considerable extent the rural communities. There yet 



