November 23, 1882
There are more of our people from Little Ridge, Pomeroy, Scotch Ridge and Basswood, going to the Western States this winter than ever before. They are not going as emigrants to settle, but to work in the lumber woods for a year or two, intending then to return. It is not easy or pleasant for them to go so far away, leaving as many of them do, families and farms behind. The cost of travel too is heavy. But they say it is more than covered, even in one season’s work, by the difference between is done there in a more upright and satisfactory way. What a man is promised is paid him. They are not worried and disappointed with unsatisfactory measurements, oppressive discounts and extortionate charges.
Mar 7 1889
St.James: Our western ridges have been suffering during late months by the departure to the neighbouring towns and the west of some of their most diligent and useful inhabitants. This loss has been ours in common with other parts of the county and province, and, indeed, of the neighbouring eastern states.
April 24, 1919
Reaching out: The New Brunswick Telephone Co. is to extend its lines from St.Stephen through Baillie, DeWolfe, Lynnfield and Basswood Ridge at an early date. The route has been “staked off” and the poles will be placed just as soon as the roads are in condition to permit poles being hauled over them. Just now a butterfly would get mired if it forgot its wings and undertook to pass over any part of the route on foot. The enterprise of the telephone people in granting increased service almost as soon as the war was ended will be appreciated.
June 30, 1938
Extensive changes in the rural telephone lines radiating from the St.Stephen exchange are now being made with a view to improving the service given out-of-town subscribers. Far reaching in effect, the changes involve the replacement of 300 telephones and the creation of several new lines, and are being made as a cost to the telephone company of some $12,000.00. In technical terms the present system of harmonic ringing on the rural lines is giving way to code ringing. After the change is completed all the telephones on the same line ring when is a call is put through to any one of them, but each subscriber is allotted a “code” ring making it easy to distinguish calls intended for his household. It also becomes possible under the new arrangement for any subscriber to ring any other on the same line without calling the operator, and also possible for any subscriber to call the operator without ringing any other phone. Within a radius of five or six miles of St.Stephen still another improvement is being made by installing the “common battery” type of telephone, with which connection is established automatically when the receiver is taken off the hook.
July 10, 1947 Electricity for Ridges
Some 50 interested citizens of Pomeroy Ridge, Scotch Ridge and Little Ridge met in the Pomeroy Ridge Hall to discuss the possibilities of obtaining electrical power for the three communities.
Speaker for the meeting was Hugh
Balkam, M.L.A. Referring to the committee which had been set up
several years ago to inquire as to the feasibility of such a
plan, which had been defeated by the Maritime Electric Company
because of shortage of poles, wire, power etc. Mr. Balkam said
through his request of the N.B. Electric Power Commission, a
survey was made of the districts which are now in the possession
of the Power Commission.