Rural Phone System, Electrification Shows Record Financial Performance WASHINGTON (USDA) The Nation’s rural electric sys tems once little more than a pair of copper lines supported by wooden po'ies and Rural Electri fication Administration loans celebrated their coming of age in 1956 with an improved ability to serve their communities and a record financial performance, the U. S. Department of Agricul ture reported today. Increasing attention to sales promotion and management prac tices, together with an influx of non-farm residents and small in dustries moving from crowded cities, pushed total operating revenues past the $5OO million mark for the first time in the 21-year-old program. In 1955 the systems reported $449,625,487 of operating revenues. Total net margins after deductions for expenses, depreciation and in terest rose more than 25 per cent over the previous year and reached a record $73 3 million. “The 1956 renort shows how far rural electrification has come since the early days of just lights in the farm home,” REA Ad ministrator David A. Hamil com mented. “Electricity, property ap plied, now is one of the most profitable and economical tools the farmer can use. In many areas the transformer bank has replaced the big barn as the sym bol of a farmer’s success. “Even more impressive <are the indications of growing maturity 75% of Your Success De pends upon Pullets Well Reared. Many poultrymen are fall ing down on the way they rear their pullets. Pullets should be started in a house that has been scrupulously cleaned well in advance, dis infected and allowed to dry out before the litter is put in. The house should be ready for the chicks several days in advance. Chicks need one sq. ft. floor space per chick for the first 8 weeks and 2 sq. ft floor space per pullet from 8 weeks until they start to comb up if they’re to be raised inside. Allow some fresh air but do not let the chicks get so cold that they pile up or huddle. Cold chicks won’t eat and dnnk properly. The average electric brooder will take care of a maximum of 250 chicks. Same goes for gas and oil brooders. Perhaps 300 chicks could be put around a coal stove. So far as I know, there is no such thing as a 500 or 1000 chick size brooder that will do a good job on chicks up to 8 weeks of age. This is in spite of what the manu facturer says about them. Babcock’s 1957 literature tells you how to rear your chicks and how to feed your layers. Also it describes Bab cock Bessies - America’s Really Fine Commercial Egg Producers. For catalog and prices write; Babcock Poultry Farm, Inc. Route #3 Ithaca, New York Russell Mease Route 4 Manheim, Pa. Local Representative Phone Manheim MO 5-470& and financial stability to be found in the 1956 reports from our borrowers,” Mr Hamil ad ded. REA’s preliminary 1956 figures 1 eflect the Expanding use of elec tric power for farm production. Average monthly consumption of all residential consumers, includ ing farm users, rose 12 per cent, over 1955 to 269 kilowatt hours, but the extra power came at 'ower cost As a result, consum ers paid an aveiage cost of only 286 cents per kwh, or 4 per cent less than the 1955 average of 298 cents per kwh The aver age monthly bill in 1956 was $7 69, compared with $7.20 a year earlier. The REA-fmanced systems sold an estimated 22 billion kilo watt-hours of electricity, almost 15 per cent more than m 1955. REA borrowers generated 3,608,- 000.000 kwh (11 per cent in crease) and purchased 21,126,- 000,000 kwh from other power suppliers to provide a total sys tem input of almost 25 billion kwh, or 14 per cent more than required in 1955, To help its borrowers keep ahead of growing rural power loads, REA approved loans total ing $229 million In 1955, elec tric loans totaled $lBO million. More than a third of the 1956 total, or $77 6 million, was ear marked for generation and trans mission facilities. One of these 1956 loans is to provide the con ventional for a gen erating unit designed to use nu clear fuel. Borrowers continued their ex cellent repayment record, pay ing more than $llB millions on principal and interest during the .year Two borrowers paid off their loans ahead of schedule, and borrowers made advance payments of near'ly $ll million, bringing total payments ahead of schedule'to $102,100-,000. The electric systems have now re paid $533 millions of the $2,842 millions advanced to them on rural electrification' loans. In addition, they -have paid more than $265 million as interest. On November 30, 1956, only eight borrowers were in arrears more than 30 days on debt payments, amounting to $390,449. A year ago 17 borrowers were delin quent on payments totaling $539,- 809. The 1956 report covers 982 ac tive electric borrowers operating from beyond the Arctic circle to subtropical Puerto Rico. Togeth er they serve 4,357,000 rural con sumers 106,000 more than a year ago over 1,384,000 miles of line. The smaKest system, in Nevada serves only 96 con sumers. About 70 systems serve more than 10,000 consumers each, with the largest, in Louisi ana, serving over 24,000. Thousand of rural subscribers received new dial telephone l serv ice during 1956 as a result of the REA telephone program. REA telephone borrowers placed in service an estimated 271 new dial exchanges and completed an estimated 27,700 miles of line during the 12-month period. Since the start of the REA'tele phone program seven years ago, some 250 individual borrowers have placed in operation 990 dial exchanges with the aid of REA financing. These borrowers a!so constructed 81,800 miles of tele phone line. The total number of REA tele phone borrowers passed 500 dur ing the year and was expected to reach 508 by December 31V This is an addition of an estimated 93 new borrowers during the year. Telephone loans for 1956 are ex pected to total $B2 million which will bring the total loans under the program to $351 million by the end of the calendar year. Reese Unloads 1956 Tobacco Crop TOBACCO BEGAN moving into the ware houses this week. Here Melvin Reese, R 3 Quarryville, unloads part of his crop in \5 v We cordially invite you to stop at the big Allis-Chalmers display. Bring in the whole family. 4-H’ers and FFA member'- are esnedally ■»«M Tune your Radio to WLAN 12:15 to 12:30 next Monday through Friday for Farm Show Broadcast Sponsored w by the Lane. Co. Allis-Chalmers Dealers Vlann & Gmmelli Farm Serv. R. S. Weaver L. H. Brubaker Quarryville, Pa. Stevens, Pa. Lititz. Pa. G. Myers & Son LH. Brubaker Snavelys Farm Service Pa, Lancaster. Pa. New Holland, Pa. 1 AT THE FARM SHOW pa invited. Lancaster Farming, Friday, Jan. 11, 1957 Lancaster. His leaf made two pounds to the lath and about a ton to the acre. (Staff photo) also featuring: The new advanced designed Manure Spreader. Rear engine Model G Tractor for Precision Farming. Plus a complete line of harvesting and tillage equipment displayed for your close examination (illlS'CHfl LINERS SALiS AND SSRV-tCE 5 the asofine Diesel ro] eels ;.ac
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers