HYDRO
The lighting of the Village Streets was also on the agenda for 1911. It seems that two or three streetlights were paid for by private citizens. At the October 26, 1911 meeting it was felt that the number of lights should be increased and these services, supplied by Mr. J.G. Field, should be paid for out of the public coffers. At the March 21, 1912 meeting, Mr. Field offered 30 lights for an annual fee of $400. The Reeve and councillor Baechler thought this a bit high and were made a committee to interview the Hydro Electric Company; for Baden had voted for hydro as early as July 22, 1911; and New Hamburg had turned form its old steam plant to Hydro in March of that year.

Hydro power was finally brought into Tavistock from Stratford in 1916 with the line running along Sebastopol Road and Highway 19 (now 59) to the pump-station which served a double role now. Later the line cut across farm land and reaches the distribution transformers from the west. The minutes of council from 1917 on, record requests for extra street-lights in front of the outlying houses, as the Village spread, In 1952, the switch was made from 25 to 60 cycle without a hitch in the service. In 1940, the PUC had erected its own office at the corner of Maria and Decew Streets just south of the Library, where the relic from the World War I had threatened passers-by for so long. Village Council now meets here as well, rather than in the Library Hall as formerly. Fred Schaefer is the efficient secretary-treasurer of the PUC and bills the users bi-monthly for hydro and quarterly for water and sewage.

Early in 1968 the PUC drilled a new well at the northern limits of the park and struck a full flow; a pump-house has been erected; this new source should ensure a steady supply of water for years to come.

SEWAGE SYSTEM
This installation proved quite an undertaking, covering a period of three years from the time of the first resolution to proceed, to the official opening, November 20, 1963. It was made to coincide with the reconstruction of the Highway through the Village, in order to save a second job of re-paving, through the co-operation of the Department of Highways. Even though sewers were advocated as early as 1916 there is some doubt as to whether lines dug in at that time would have been adequate for to-day. Be that as it may but the foresight of the Village Fathers to proceed, when they did, has put our Village in the forefront to attract industry and promote growth.

On January 19, 1961, the Council decided to seek the aid of the Federal Government through the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation to install a lagoon-type of system. At the February 28th meeting an estimate put the cost at $285,000 with the CMHC providing a loan of 2/3 of that amount, with final remission of 25% of the loan. In March the necessary by-laws were prepared and Engineer R.R. Dawson of Stratford engaged to call for tenders on the Woodstock Street sewer or Stage I. By June 20 only two objections had been registered and the approval of East Zorra had been obtained to extend the system into their township. The 36-acre lagoon, in two sections, lies just out of the corporation west of the C.N.R. tracks and a short distance south of the park.

On April 16, 1962 the council was informed that the Ontario Municipal Board would approve only Stage I of the system unless the extra money, to finish all of it, could be raised by prepayment of frontage by the ratepayers. Over $50,000 was raised this way, and with its declaration as a Winter Works Project to aid employment, a grant of $25,200 was made available, sufficient to finish the job, at considerable saving to the taxpayers.

On May 29, 1963 representatives from the Division of Plant Operations, OWRC, came to town to explain to the local advisory board the pitfalls of operating the system, and the need of qualified personnel.

The official opening with dignitaries and ceremonies took place on November 20, 1963.

TELEPHONE
One of our far-seeing merchants, Fred Krug, early saw the need of a good system of communication. In the autumn of 1889 he installed the first telephone switchboard in his store, in a small fenced-in compartment just to the right of his front entrance – so we are told – with Miss Dora Pflugradt as operator, whenever the phone rang to call her from her other duties, The subscribers, according to The Gazette, were as follows:

Field, James G. - mfr. - Hope St
G.T.R. Station - Woodstock St
Jung, Otto - hotel keeper - Commercial Hotel
Krug, Fred - merchant - Woodstock St.
Steele, Michael - phys. - Hope and Jane St.
Tavistock Milling Co. - flour mills - Maria St.
Wettlaufer, Jacob J. - Progress Hotel

Improvements came in 1900 to enable the customer to contact all larger centres in Ontario, Quebec and the United States within a radius of 1000 miles. By 1908 the local “central” averaged 80 calls per day, with 20 long distance added. The day of service ran from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, except on Sunday, from 2-4 p.m.