REA PROGRESS
Moro rural people used moro cloctric powor
for more purposes during 1948 than in any
provious year, the U.S. Department of 4gri
culture announced recently.
Figures roloased by the Rural Electrifi
cation Administration, based on operating
roports from REA borrowers for the first
9 months of the yoar, show that uso of
oloctricity along REA financod rural Eloc
tric linos increased on an average of 15.1
porcont per consumer during the year. The
number of consumers sorved by REA borrow
ers ras almost ono-fourth greater.
■Practically all of the REA ostinatos show
od now records established during'1948.
REA financod systems in operation, owned
and operated by local people, reachod 952.
an increase of 41.' A total of 54 othors
had received loans, but wero not yot in
service. The operating systems addod
147,000 miles of line and 469,000 consum
ers during tho year, bringing tho totals
to 750,000 miles in oporation and 2,515,00
consumers getting servico.
Rural Electrification Administrator,Claude
|---—
R, Wickard said:
"Eloctric porer is remaking rural America.
More than any other single factor, it is
eliminating tho diffcronco botuoon rural
•and urban standards of living. Farmers aro
living better, and their labor is more pro
fitable and loss burdonsomi Rural ^young'
peoplo aro encouragod to stay on the farm,
and the establishment of rural industrial
plants brings non employment and prosperity
to rural communities,
"Those benefits aro coming through the ef
forts of the rural people themselves, rith
tho assistamdo of their government. Tho
principal help nhich REA provides is to fur
nish the capital required to install elec
tric utility properties far serving rural
people^ The capital is provided as inter
est-bearing loans, which are being repaid
on or ahead of schedule,
"The progress during 1948 rould have been
even greater except'for shortage of con
struct icn materials, uhich retarded the
connection of nor; consumers, and the short
age of porror, nhich held doun the use of
current."
Release from: Rural Electrification A dm.
as of January 2,1949.
SLEEP TO SEATTLE
SLEEPER, SERVICE from ANCHORAGE
non-STOP
WO.
PLUi MX
S 80.50 TOTAL
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OFFICE AT
PflLfTlER PHOTO ART bill rempel
AGENT