Lakeshore Advance, 2011-10-05, Page 14., ,. Advance 13
A History of Hay Communications- 100 Wednesday
late
CONTINUED FROM > PAGE 12
N4KR y 4. `/,s1
Hay Communications
Harry Hess up a telephone pole
history and has always had a thing for
local history, so 1 couldn't resist this
opportunity (although it's quite different
from the corporate communications we
usually do). In total the project took us
about a year. there are wonderful archives
at I lay, organized by a previous General
Manager, and we also interviewed as
many current and past employees as we
could. Once the copy was complete,
Kelli Phillips at Hay did tons of picture
research and made some very cool addi-
tions in the form of captions. It's really a
team effort, said Morden.
The book goes back to a time where Bell
supplied seven people in Zurich with
phones and ran a party line to three
homes in St. Joseph. The phones were
wooden boxes, called "coffin telephones"
with hand cranked magnetos, two bells
on the outside as ringers, stationary speak-
ing tubes and hand-held receivers for
listening.
By 1906 Edmund Zeller, publisher of
the Zurich I herald launched a private rural
system, the Zeller Telephone company.
Soon many if not most of the businesses
had a phone and the first rural line was
extended to Jacob I laberer's farm on the
find Line.
In May 1911 a petition of 179 ratepayers
requested I; lay'lwp. Council to establish a
munidpal telephone system. The Council
bought the Zeller iblephone System from
Edmund Zeller for $7,150.00, and the
switchboard and pope line from Zurich to
Hensall from Bell Telephone Co. for
$1,100.00.
As a result they could provide service in Dashwood and
Zurich, and the townships of flay and Stanley. Edmund Zel-
ler was hired as manager; Fred I less, Secretary; %Vim Hess
hired as manager of all the system's lines; Peter Mclsaac, then
later 1'. harry Hoffman as manager of Dashwood; Barry G.
1 less manager of the Zurich Area.
After some time, much growth and some voiceful residents,
I lay Township council agreed to buy the telephone company.
The sale was complete July 10, 1911 at a cost of $7,150. 'They
operated 150 telephones. The 1lav Municipal Telephone
system was born.
Connecting Our Communities takes the reader from 1911
to 2011 where people were getting used to the tele-
phone. Morden writes there are many stories of women who
took off their aprons and tidied their hair before answering
the phone, or worried about getting sick from germs com-
ing across the telephone lines. Until the end of 1994, the
Hay Municipal Telephone System provided modern and
up-to-date service to 5,000 customers from Grand Bend,
Dashwood, Zurich, Hensall and rural services to all the
townships surrounding Hay '1\vp.
In 1980 the Grand Bend exchange converted from a
mechanical switcher to a computer controlled digital switcher
at a cost of $600,000. Zurich cut over to the computer control-
led digital switcher in March, 1985 also at a cost of $60,000.
1 IMTS also relocated the Business Office and Work Centre to a
new facility on the outskirts of Zurich, ON. in November 1979.
In December, 1989 the Dashwood exchange cut over to com-
puter controlled digital switcher system at a cost of $410,000.
In January 1995, the Hay Municipal Telephone System
(HMI'S) was disbanded as a result of
Amway G,AIMS- OpEAwroR
Hay Communications
Harry Hess at the switchboard
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Grand Bend operators
new Government legislation for all
Independent Telephone Companies in
Canada to the Canadian Radio -TV
Commission (CRTC). As a result, I IMTS
was reorganized as the tiny Communi-
cations Co-operative Ltd. (I ICU).
Today, the I IC:CL, owes its success as
one of the great Independent Tele-
phone Systems to its employees amen
management who have loyally given
their best to make their system one of
the largest and best of the Independ-
ents by keeping abreast of customers
needs and confidently looking forward
into the 21st Century.
The celebration
100 Year Celebration Event - Satur-
day September 17th was the main cel-
ebration for the 100 -year-old com-
pany. Phillips said the commitment
to I lay really showed with guests that
made the trip to enjoy the event. Past
and present general managers and
SIAtON L)ESJARI)INE
('FP, ('I.U, RHU, EP('
('rrti/red t iemrid Mower. p!•
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519-238-6399
55 Ontario St. N. (.rand Bend
• Investment Funds • RRSP's
• Insurance • Mortgages
"In Ils.+isnt Si*. )ear ?000, (W puska it ► *r %imam."
Hay Communications
staff as well as several local dignitaries
represented several local Telcos.
Angela Schneider, General Manager,
stated that she felt the event was a
great success mainly because " it was
well attended by community members.
"We were really moved by the amount
of people who had gone away from the
area but said they were raised here and
came back for the event because they
feel a tie to the 100 year old telephone
company and its staff."
For details on the 100 Year Celebra-
tion and details on the draws go to
www.hay.net
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