September 5, 1903
Free Press Files
G.C. Hodge, district superintendent of the Canada Western Telephone and Telegraph Co., and several other similar companies practically under the same control, was in town this week with a view to installing a telephone system in Fernie. Mr. Hodge met with most satisfactory encouragement from all whom he approached on the matter. The company have charters covering nearly the whole of the province so that little difficulty would be experienced in this direction. The company have plenty of capital behind them and they propose putting in the best possible plant; the poles for instance will be forty feet in length with 10 inch tops. The promoters do not hope to realize dividends from the local service but they have plans in view for the extension of the system by which Morrissey and Michel would be connected and eventually Cranbrook, Nelson and points on the American side would be within speaking distance of Fernie. In order to make the start the Company would require almost forty subscribers. The regular rates are $4 per month for business phones and $3 for private residences.
The lack of a telephone service has long been felt in Fernie. Like many other needed reforms it has been slow in making its appearance and the long suffering people of Fernie have patiently waited, confidently believing that all things come to him who waits. The convenience afforded to townspeople by an up-to-date local telephone service can only be understood after it is installed, while the advantage gained from connection with outside points can be fully realized only by a town so isolated by railway and highway communication as is Fernie.
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