Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-21
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
REPORT JUST ISSUED BY THE
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS.


the bureau of the census The statistics
were collected and complied under the su-
pervisIon of Mr.. w. NJ. Steuart, chief sta
tistician for manufa ctures.
The telephone systems are divided into
three classes as follows: Commercial sys-
TENS. including ali systems operated by IN
dividuals. firms, or corporations, primarily
for revenue: mutual systems including ali
systems operated through a mutual
rangemeRt among persons deriving a bene-
tit from the service, primarily for the bene-
fit of the owners, revenue being incidental
to the operation of the line; independent
farmer rural lines including all lines
having no regular exchange or central Of
flee
In 1862 there were 3I57 commercial sys-
TENS. s9f mutual systems. and 4.9S5 indie
pendent rural lines. For the commercial
systems the mileage was 4,779,511, and the
number OF telephones 2.225.9s1; for the
mutual systems the mileage T0.915 and
the number of telephones s9,316 and for
the independent lines the mileage was 49,.
965. and the number of telephones 80. TAT.
In connection with the commercial and
rural systems there were Io361 public ex-
changes. The pay stations numbered S0.SIo.
of which 32,4I7 were automatic. The num-
Der OF salaried employees engaged in the
telephone service was 14,124, and the av-
amount paid in salaries was 50 ss5 ,Ss6. AMI
in wages $26 1863 735
Use of the Telephone.
The report shows that on the average
there telephone to every tnirty-four
persons, that each person talked sixty-tive
times year. and that each telephone was
used 219o times. Generally speaking a
liberal provision of telephone facilities
means a large number of calls or messages
per capita and a low number per lnstru-
ment.
In 1900 there were L 1851 incorporated ur-
ban centers with 1900 or more Inhabitants.
OF these. oo2 were provided in 1902 with
telephone systems of some description.
San Francisco. with one telephone to nine
persons. was the best telephoned city in the
United States in 1902: while Cievean
ranked second, with one telephone for every
sixteen personsi and Boston was third
with one telephone for every nineteen IN
habitants
The average revenue per telephone
amounted to $3.50 and the average per
message to II cents; while the average
operating expense was S2456 per telephone
and IL cents per message.
Reports were received for one system in
Alaska, one in the Philippines, and seven
in Hawaii. For these Zine systems there
was an aggregate of 551S miles of wire
2.s91 telephones and 1857 925 messages.
Over Five Billion Messages.
Tue humber OF messages or talks reported
for the year was 500. 554 553: of these,
4.94e.Si9, 100 were local exchange calls and
1907 ,si4 were long distance and toll calls
Ohio led in the total number of messages
with SIS, 7GT SOL and Illinois was next with
54l. 1s 1872. In long distance and toll traf-
nc pennsylvania was first, with 20 100 6ol
messages and New York was a close sec
ond. with 2O367024. The greatest number
OF local messages. 547, 23S. 743, was reported
for Ohio and the next largest go IA 34a
for Illinois.
The introduction of the telephone in the |
United states was followed by its adoption |
almost Immediately in all the countries of |
Europe and more slowly in other parts of |
the world But while In the United States
the development of the telephone has been |
ieft TO private enterprise, in Europe tho |
telephone. along with the telegraph has re
NAMED almost exclusively subject to gov |
erumental control
In the report table is given showing the |
telephone statistics as OF January 1909 |
Tor the United States and Europe The !
number of telephones for the United States |
was 100000 and the number for Europe |
LASS, 7S4
Commercial Telegraph Systems.
The commercial telegraph systems of the |
country owned and operated I,3fs,350 miles |
of wire in 1902. In addition there were
1861 nautical miles OF submarine cable. |
The twenty-five systems had an investment, |
or capitalization of stocks and bonds, Of
S162,3i6,o23; total revenue of $40 o30a3s: |
ana total assets of $i95, SOB 10 sum |
amounting to $15o39, 673 was paid In |
salaries and wages to $40 salarled en-
ployes and % 19s wage earners
The railway telegraph systems were re
ported by 6S4 companies. They employed |
5O.3S6 operators and dispatchers, to whom !
s2oe4e.I3o was paid in wages The number |
OF messages sent during the year for rail- |
road business only was 201, 74S. 7.6 and the |
number of commercial messages was |
4.374, 500
The practice of putting the fire alarm |
wires Underground has increased rapidly |
during late years. and more than one fourth |
or the SHS35 miles of such wire was under |
ground in 1902. There were 81, s32 signaling
ana ahhunciatlng boxes and 1900 special |
telephones for use In connection with the |
Ire alarm service. During the wear 1890
oSV'o hre alarms were turned In through |
these boxes and telephones OF these |
alarms, l2,19 were credited to New work |
''tVL TO Massachusetts and 9027 to Illinois |
Telegraph Used by the Police.
The utilization of the telegraph as an aid |
Ia the detection and suppression of crime |
ana also IN connection with other duties |
falling 10 the protectors OF the peace was |
resorted to at d rather early date nv tba |
police departments in various large cities. |
The combination OF the telegraph and tele |
phone as an auxiliary to the police force |
vas first introduced In 1880
II 1872 the police patrol systems were dis
tributed "a tB,rty-twe states and the Bis
Ing located in the states With the greatest !
number of large cities. Massachusetts, is |
credited with the largest number. twenty |
eight, and New York ranked second with |
fourteen
There were IN 1892 14s police patrol sys- |
TENS. with $3.50 miles of wire The sig |
mailing boxes numbered 9.4T6 and the tele- |
phonlng boxes LILO Over these instr,I- |
ments 4o,626, sos police calls were received |
or sent This gives an average, per box or |
station, of 3,Sl8 messages during the year |
or daily average of more than 10 calls.
The use of the telephone predominated |
The number of telephone messages being |
2}h393 SIP. as compared with II 232 eg3 of |
all other kinds.
In the rural districts the use of the tele- |
phone has greatly lessened the labor of |
shertffs and constables In connection with |
the suppression Of the tramp nuisance"
This Is the last OF a series of reports on |
the generation and utilization of electric |