THE WRONG ROUTE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1070, 6 September 1930, Page 27

THE WRONG ROUTE

TELEPHONE LINE COMEDY DISMISSED MAN’S REVENGE Joao Figo—in plain English, John Figg—was discharged by the Telephone Company in Brazil, for which he had been working as a linesman. The official reason for his dismissal was that he was “a little weak for the work required.” Unable to understand clearly that he was no longer on the pay-roll. Figo secured a foreman’s badge, and turned up a few days later at the town of Bauru, where he had heard the company contemplated installing a new line.

Figo formally advised the mayor of his intentions, and was given permission to work. He collected a gang of thirty men, borrowed tools, established camps, cleared a right-of-way through the jungle, and put up poles. Local merchants, knowing the Telephone Company’s credit was good, supplied his men with food, and everything went well until Figo sent a man to the company's stores for more tools. Twenty-four hours later, alarmed telephone officials visited the town, hut Figo had fled, and his whereabouts were unknown until a company agent from an up-country centre asked for instructions about twenty men who had arrived uder Figo to build a new stretch of line. That ended Figo’s operations. His only comment when arrested was, “Well. I had to work!” The line that he had built at Bauru was perfect, except that it went the wrong way into an uninhabited region instead of towards civilisation.