HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1972-06-28, Page 16g g r titvt
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Walter Scott; who for many years was manager of the Brussels, Grey and Morris Telephone,
and the late Wm. Little stand in front of the former head office of the company.
16—THE BRUSSELS POST, JUNE 2B, 1V12 14
.CONGRATULATIONS
to the
Village of Brussels
and the
Brussels Post
on the occasion
of their 100th Birthday
Maitland Teleservice Ltd.
BRUSSELS ONTARIO
a.
Subscribers to the Brussels, Morris and Grey Telephone
System gathered for a dinner meeting during the time in which
the company was being formed. Finlay S, Scott, who later •
was named the first president, is shown in the centre of the
picture.
Brussels Morris and Grey telephones provided
early communication to a wide area
A telephone exchange service
was established in Brussels
in May 1885. Bell Canada ledgers
record exchange line receipts for
$163.00 submitted on that date
by the first local telephone
manager, John Hargreaves.
A Gilliland magneto switch-
board was installed in Mr.
Hargreaves' drug and stationery
store on Turnberry Street and
by December 1886 the exchange
gave service, from 8 a.m. to
8 p.m. on weekdays , from 2
to 4 p.m. on Sundays and from
10 a.m. until noon and 2 to 4
p.m. on holidays, to eleven sub-
scribers. They were
Grand Trunk Railway Station
Great Northwestern Telegraph
C o.
Hargreaves, Jno., Druggist and
Stationer, Turnbury St.
Hutchinson, Dr.,Residence, Mill
St.
Rogers, F.C., Merchant Store
Rogers, F. C. Merchant, Salt-
block.
Scott, F.S., Bailiff, Residence
Sinclair, W.M., Solicitor, Resi-
dence
Vanstone, WM. & Sons,Millers
Wade, E.E., Barrister, Office
Wade, E.E., Residence.
The Barrie Northern Advance
for September 16, 1886 reported
that Bell Company line crews
were building long distance lines
from “walkerton through Mild-
may, Clifford, Harriston, Arthur,
Fergus and Elora and connecting
with the rest of the long distancb
system at Guelph." The line was
also to be connected with London
via Palmerston and Listowel and
extended to Brussels and
Wingham. The extension, from
Clinton to Wingham through
Brussels, and using 25 miles of
poles and 28.5 miles of number
14 copper wire was completed in
1888.
Brussels local exchange, say
old timers, was closed from 1888
to 1895 with only a toll office
remaining to serve the town.
Directory listings for that period
and area are not on file in the
Telephone Historical Collection
and it is not possible to determine
whether the exchange was indeed
closed for those years. The
directory for 1895 listed James
Fox as local manager with
switchboard and associated ap-
paratus located in Mr, Fox's
premises in Dr. Graham's Block
on Turnberry Street: The fol-
lowing subscribers were shown;
Amen t, J. & P., Sash & Door
Factory, Turnberry St.
Beatty Bros., Livery Barn,
Turnberry St.
Grand Trunk Depot
Koenig, Adam, American. Hotel,
Turnberry St.
McNaughton, J. A., Physician,
Mill St.
O'Leary, Jas., Queen's Hotel,
Turnberry St.
Ronald, J. D., Foundry,
Queen St.
Sinclair, W.M., Law Office,
Turnbrry St.
Sinclair, W. M.,• Res., Turn-
berry St.
Stewart & Graham, Flour Mill,
James. St.
Williams, H.' & Son, Livery
Barn, King St.
By this time Brussels was
connected to an extensive
network of long distance
telephone lines from QuebecCity
in the east to Windsor, Detroit
and the United States network in
the west.
A number 117 type
switchboard with a capacity of 30
lines was installed in Brussels
in 1903 as recorded by Bell
Company Superintendent, A.T.
Smith.
By 1906 there were 46 tele-
phone subscribers in BruiSels
and messenger service was
available for non-subscribers at
the following rates;
- within one quarter of a mile
- of the exchange
- beyond one quarter but within
half a mile - .114
- over a half mile -
an hour
In 1909 Findlay Stewart Scott
formed the Brussels and Grey
Municipal Telephone System
Which began operations in Brus-
sels that year. The first com-
missioners for the company were
Doctor J. D. Warwick, William
Cameron (Cranbrook), Richard
Proctor (Belgrave) and Malcolm
Black. Telephone service was
provided through a magneto
switchboard and th e telephone
operators were Misses Mildred
Grewar, Jean Moore and Mary
MacDonald. Miss Grewar and
Miss MacDonald lived over the
exchange.
In 1911 the Brussels, Morris
& Grey Municipal Telephone
System was connected with the
long distance lines of the Bell
Company at Brussels and this
arrangement continued over the
years. The Bell Company sold
230 poles and associated plant
in the area to the Corporation
of the Village of Brussels in
1914 and local exchange service
became the responsibility of the
Brussels, Morris & Grey Sys-
tem. The Brussels, Morris &
Grey System were to act as
managers of the Bell Company
toll office at Brussels.
From 1909 until 1958 the same
building housed the magneto ex-
change of the Brussels, Morris
& Grey System; in 1958 a new
office was erected to house im-
proved common battery equip-
ment.
The official cutover of the
town's magneto system to com-
mon battery operation on June 2,
1958 marked the 50th anniver-
sary of the Brussels, Morris &
Grey Company and the complet-
ion of the largest project it had
ever undertaken.
Four regular operators, one
night and one relief operator
manned the new switchboard.
In 1967 the Brussels, Morris
& Grey Municipal System and
the Blyth Municipal Telephone
Systems merged to form Mait-
land Teleservices Limited and in
December 1969 further changes
were made as the town's tele-
phone system was converted from
common battery to dial operation.
Direct Distance Dialing was
introduced at the time of the
cutover.
As of December 31, 1971
there were 1,268 telephones in
service in Brussels.
J. L. Kerr who published the
Post until his death in 1932.
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