The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-05-26
The Department of Com
merce and Laber Outlines
the Service In the United
States
TELEGRAPH STATISTICS
SERVICE IN THIS COUNTRY
COMPARED WITH THAT
ABRoAD-INrEREsTING DATA.

A report on the telephone and tele-
graph systems and the municipal electric
fire alarm and police patrol systems of
the United States has just been publish
ed by the Bpreau of the Census. The
statistics were collected and compiled un-
der the supervision of Mr.. w. NJ. Steuart.
chief statistician for manufactures, and
the text was prepared by Mr.. Thomas
Commerford Martin, of New York city,
exeprt special agent.
This is the last of series of reports
on the generation and utilization of cleo
tric current for the transmission of pow
er, messages, and conversation. Former
reports relate to street and electric rail-
ways, and central electric light and pow
er plants.
This report presents statictics concern
ing the physical equipment, service, and
financial operations of the commercial
and mutual telephone and telegraph sys-
TENS of the country, and the physical
equipment of independent rural telephone
lines.
The statistics of the telegraph and tele-
phone industries of the United States
were first shown in the census of 1880.
At that time telegraphy had ben growing
steadily for nearly forty years and tele-
phony was in the formative stages of
development. Since then, however, te-
lephony has progressed to such an ex-
tent that it has surpassed telegraphy in
physical and financial magnitude.
In 1902 the telephone systems oper-
ated more than three-fourths of the wire
mileage reported for both telephones and
telegraphs, gave employment to ceventh-
tenths of the wage-earners, paid more
than two-thirds of the wages, received
more than two-thirds of the total reve-
nue., and paid mora than two-thirds of
the total expenses.
The telephone systems are divided into
three classes, as follows:
|. Commercial systems, including all
systems operated by individuals. firms. or
corporations primarily for revenue.
2. Mutual systems, including all sys-
TENS operated through mutual arrange
ment among persons deriving benefit from
the service, primarily for the benefit Of
the owners. revenue being incidental to
the operation of the line.
8. Independent farmer or rural lines,
including all lines having no regular ex
change or central Office
In 1902 there were 3,157 commercial
systems. 994 mutual systems, and 1886
independent rural lines. For the COM
mercial systems the milage was 4,779.571,
and the number of telephones, 2,225, ,9S1;
for the mutual systems the milage was
7O,915, and the numbed of telephones,
S9,316; and for the Independent lines the
milage was 1896, and the number of
telephones, 55,747.
In connection with the commercial and
rural systems there were 10,361 public
exchanges. The pay stations numbered
S0,S70, of which 32.477 We're automatic.
The number Of salaried employees en-
gagged in the telephone service was IA, 124
and the everage number of wage-earners
64,62S. The amount paid in salaries was
$9,S85, 1885, annd in wages, $26, 1863. .T35.
Although there were only A Bell sys-
TENS in 1902, they reported about seven
tenths of the wire mileage for all tele-
phone systems, more than one-half of all
messages or talks during. the year They
employed over seven-tenths Of the wage
earners and paid almost four-ffths of the
wages.
The number of messag ges or talks re-
ported for the year was 5, ,0T0, ,554 .558; of
these, 4,949, ,S49, 100 were local exchange
calls and 120,7o4, ,s44 were long distance
and toll calls.
Ohio led in the total number Of mes
sages. with 55s.7o7, ,s0l and Illinois was
next. with 81, ,161 ,932. In long distance
and toll traffic Pennsylvania was first,
with 2o,409, ,621 messages; and New York
was close second, with 20,367, ,024.
The greatet number of local messages,
547, ,23S, ,743, wa reported for Ohio, and
the next largest, $50, IA S49. for Illinois.
The report shows that on the average
there was I telephone to every "a per
sons. that each person talked 65 times
year, and that each telephone was used
2,l90 times.
Generally speaking. liberal provision
of telephone facilities means a large