Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-04-01
TELEPHONE BUSINESS.
oro"'n OF TOO Per Cent. for Bell Svs.
TEN in Three Years,

The annual report of President =
FISH of the American Telenhone =.
Telegraph Company Just issued shows
that the number of Subscribers ~ ~
Ben system is practically one HIM.
ored per cent. greater than three ya.rs
aso' III almost every part of the
country each subscriber is now able To
lax 10 twice as many telephones, and
'iousn THESE TO proportionately
larger number OF people, so that the
'aiue OF tha service to the user con.
stantly increases and it's cost to the
subscriber in relation to it's value is
reduced. The report saws tina, from
the point of view of the companies ana
from that of the public the establish
ment of rates for service which viii,
give an adequate return and ar tho
same time make rates suitable for ~.
varying requirements of Subscribers
alike fair to large and small users is
most important. No two localities
nave the same investment per station
nor is the cost of operating the same
out as communities increase in size
conditions arise which largely increase
the cost. standard rates are reduced
from time to time whenever conditions
justify and constantly increasing
proportion Of the telephones installed
is furnished at the lower scale of rates
adapted to the needs of smaller users
1t seems well established that tho
larger and more densely populated "a
community is the higher must be the
rates for the kind of service required
in such a community.
Tn, he l,,ps 1,t:-
and costly underground construction
heavy real estate investment. Commit
Gated central Office equipment. expen-
sive out of all proportion to the num-
Der of subscribers. and many other
conditions involving heavy expenses
not found in smaller communities
there is demand for engineering skill
of the highest order. and courage to
incur the great expense necessary to
give the amount and character of sery-
ice required.
The number of telephone companies
originally organized to operate indie
pendently of the Bell Companies which
have decided it is to their interest to
become part of the Bell system is
steadily increasing. This is significant
as showing the growing appreciation of
the value of the Bell service and the
contracts under which these arrange
.ments are made are clearly for mutual
advantage as we'll as for the adj
vantage of the community served.
BY the bulletin on telephones issued
by the Census Bureau there were on
December 81, 1902, S4,021 telephones
classified as Independent which We're Il
portion Of the Bell system and this
number has grown so that on Decem-
Der 81. 1904, there were 1928 stations
of this class. Not including the fore
gong, the number of exchange stations
in the Bell system at the close of the
year was 1,799,633, an increase during
the year of 2I4,46 In addition to
these there We're telephones used for
private line purposes and sub-license
stations, SO that the total number of
telephone stations of the Bell system
on December 81. 1904, was 2003,2lS.
The total mileage of wire of the COM
panies was 1911 ,03S, of which 712,14.
miles were added during the year. The
daily average of toll connections was
301 900 and OF exchange connections H.
14", GOO or a total number of telephone
connections during the year of about
$685.. ZOO, 900. The expenditure for con-
struction Of all the Bell companies
during the last five years there has
been expended on the Bell telephone
plants the sum of $16S, 16640O.