The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-05-06
A GREAT GROWTH IN
NV. TELEPHONE
COMPANY
Shown in Annual Report of
President Fish-Marvelous
Increase in Business.

President Frederick P. Fish of the
American Telephone and Telegraph
Co.. which controls the Northwestern.
Duluth and several other telephone
companies operating in the north
west has just issued his annual re-
port for 1906. which shows that the
Bell telephone companies had total
of 3,O6S,S33 telephone stations in the
United States at the end of the year
1906 as against 2,52S,715 stations at
the close of 1905. There were in use,
for exchange and toll service. 1865
9O5 miles of wire of which 1,6SS.9S7
miles We're added during the year.
these figures not including the mile
age of wire operated by sub-licenses
or connecting companies. In 1906.
the Bell companies handled daily
average OF l6.940,000 connections, or
at the rate Of about 5.455.000.00O per
year. being siNty-four telephone calls
for each man. woman and child in
the United States. There was en-
pended by the Bell companies in the
United States for new construction.
including exchanges. toll lines, land
and buildings. $1S.$se.sls as against
$5O.7S9.9o6 in 1905. The grand total
of expenditures upon the properties
during the seven years beginning
with 1900 has been $sSS.Sl4,s55.
During the year the Bell companies
in the United States offset the iepre-
citation which would otherwise have
taken place in the value of the lines
and equipment by expending $S2.S14.-
56S for maintenance and renewal of
nj nj
pendent OF that for new construction.
1t was made from the earnings of the
properties and was charged to en-
pense. The report states that as a
result of this expenditure the plant
is in a better condition than ever be-
fore and could not now be reproduced
for less than s70,O0O.0OO in excess of
its cost. Year by year the plant is
becoming OF more permanent char
acter and nearly all Of it is now of
a type which need not be replaced
until it is worn out. Throughout the
country the business of the Bell COM
panies is supported by a satisfactory
plant, good organization and good
service.
President Fish devotes portion of
the report to a statement of the way
in which the growth of the system is
being provided for. He says that in
the earlier stages of the systems de-
velopment it seemed consistent with
sound policy to assume a rate of
growth not greatly in excess of that
then prevailing. but if, under present
conditions, buildings were erected and
central Office equipment installed suf-
ficient only for the business in sight
at the time it would not be long be-
fore they became inadequate. In many
cases they could be enlarged only at
an expense altogether out of proper
ton to the increased facilities gained
The same is true even to a greater
extent of the line of construction
which connects the exchange with the
subscribers station. For these rea.
sons the Bell companies, particularly
in the last year have built for the
future as far as was consistent with
sound economy. They have provided
for growth that is sure to come and
have not limited their construction
to the business actually in sight. In
line with this policy is the increased
use of cables upon pole lines, made
possible by improvements in the ca
bles and securing increased capacity
lessened interruption of service. and
decreased maintenance expense. The
extent to which the companies have
thus built for the future is shown by
the fact that $25,00O.00O are now in.
vested in circuits in cable that are
not yet in use but all of which will
soon be in service. The report points
out that adequate provision for the
future is made possible by systematic
engineering and that engineering Of
the kind now characterizing the work
Is of great assistance to the com
panles in meeting promptly and sat
isfactorily the demand for good serv-
ice.
In recounting the financial opera.
tons of the year, the report says that
the gross revenue of all the Bell com
panies in the United States, taken as
a whole, and excluding Implications
was over 100000.