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