Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-01-15

manning 1863 per cent represented cir
cult miles OF wire in overhead and sub
marine cables.
The commercial and mutual systems
reported 2.3l5.2a7 telephones as in or
Grafton during 1902. OF these, 1O,361
were public exchanges, SO,S1O were
public or Semi-public stations or tele-
phones use,l by the general public up
on payment OF 81 stated fee and 1924
0GG were private telephones.
There We're 2.l78,3G6 subscribers re-
ported, giving an average OF approxi-
mately one telephone to each sub
scriber.
The estimated number OF messages
or talks during the year over the wires
OF the commercial and mutual systems
was 5.O7O.55i ,352; for the 1885 indie
pendent farmer or rural lines no esti-
mates could be obtained. OF the total
number OF messages reported 97.6 per
cent. were local and the remaining
"a per cent. were long distance and
toll
The commercial telegraph messages
sent during 1902 numbered 9O,S34,739,
or less than one fifty-sixth of the tele-
phone messages. and the pieces OF first
class mail matter that passed through
the mails during the same year mum
bered 4,G11,27 $50, or not quite as
many as the telephone messages.
Estimating the population OF CONT
mental United States in 1902 as u.s.
576,436, there We're "a persons per tel
ephone and 65 messages per person, as
compared with an average OF 2,l9O
messages per telephone during the
year
While there has been a wide extern.
Of "a fa)n
rural districts, the industry naturally
shows the greatest development in the
States having the greatest population,
and is carried on to the grestest ex-
tent in large cities. Or the 1861 incor-
poratel places in the United States
having a population of 1000 or over
1902 are provided with telephone facil-
the North Central division, which
ranks first in population holds the first
tiles.
Considering the statistics by main
geographic divisions, it is found that
place also in the number OF CONNER
cial anu mutual systems, miles Of wire,
telephones, messages during the year,
revenue, expenses and net surplus
Similarly. the States holding the first
six places in rank for each of these
items are all among the ten which
We're most populous in 1900-New
York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. Ohio,
Missouri. Texas, Massachusetts, InGi.
ana, Michigan and Iowa, in the order
named. Moreover. every one Of these
States appears in at least one list, with
the exception Of Michigan, which rank
ed seventh in number of messages
Iowa ranked first in number Of sys-
tens; New York first in miles Of wire,
number of telephones, revenue and ex-
penses; and Ohio first in number of
messages and net surplus for the year.
The returns for the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company include
the data for As licensee companies in
whose financial transactions it has
material interest in many cases own
ing a proportion OF the capital stock
sufficient to assure absolute control.
The systems operated independently
numbered 4.l07-3.113 commercial sys-
tens and all OF the 1894 mutual sys-
tens. The relative Importance of the
American Telephone and Telegraph
Company's systems is shown by the,
fact that they reported 69.S per cent.
OF the wire mileage, 56.9 per cent. of
the telephones, and COS per cent. of
the messages reported by all CONNER
cial and mutual systems. The number
OF messages per telephone averaged
2334 for the American Telephone and
Telegraph Company's systems and p
900 for the independent systems.
The American Telephone and Tele-
graph Company's systems reported
far greater number of pay stations
than did the independent systems, but
the latter operated nearly twice as
many public exchanges as the former.
The average amount of line controlled
per exchange was considerably greater
for the American Telephone and Tele-
graph Companys systems. being 1927
miles. as compared with 221.3 miles for
the independent systems. The indie
pendent systems operated exchanges
in all the States and Territories with
the exception OF the District of Column
bia and Utah. and the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company's sys-
tens operated exchanges in all save In.
dian Territory. There were 90 States
and Territories in which the exchanges
controlled by the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company's systems pre-
dominated, forming 1872 per cent. of
all exchanges operated in these States
and Territories.
1t is impossible to make an exact
| segregation OF the statistics so as to
show the number of lines, the wire
mileage, and the number Of telephones
devoted primarily to telephone work
in the country as distinct from the ur-
| ban districts. approximately, how
| ever. there were 2I,577 such lines, Of
which 1928 per cent were owned and
operated by commercial systems, 4.6
per cent. were the mutual systems, and
the remaining 23.l per cent. were IN
| dependent farmer or rural lines. The