The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-05-24
ALMOST A MILLION
CALLS A DAY
Tremendous Telephone Patronage
OF the New England Company
TOTAL NUMBER or EMPLOYEES, 1868
Interesting Facts Steamed from Annual
Report Of GeneraI Sherwin

The New England telephone sys
tenn is the second largest in the cOun
try, according to the annual report OF
Gen. Thomas Sherwin, President OF
the New England Telephone and Tele.
graph Company, which has just ap-
peared. The growth of the business
during 1906 was greater than in any
previous year, and on the first OF
January, 1907, there were 255.576 sub
scribers' stations connected with the
lines OF the New England company
and its sub-licensees, which cover
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and
Massachusetts. That is, approximately
speaking, one telephone to each 1S
men, women and children in the ter
ritory. The total includes a small
number Of subscribers in Rhode Island
and in corner of New York State.
Extensive additions and improve
ments to the New England system
have been made during the past year.
In the course OF the constant work
OF re-equipment necessitated by growth
and by the fact that telephone appar-
atus Of even the very best type Is
quickly worn out, new switchbOards
were placed in 104 different Offices.
Thirteen exchanges have been moved
into specially constructed buildings
and have been newly equipped through
out with both central Office and sub
scribers apparatus. Besides this
enormous amount of new and larger
apparatus, additions were made TO the
existing central Office plants in %
exchanges. The total expenditures
during the year for materials, General
Sherwin reports as $4,3l6,375.30 OF
this amount a million and three
quarters went for wire and cable,
more than three-quarters of million
for switchboards and switchboard
material, and almost a quarter of a
million for poles and cross-arms.
The New England system now has
4SS exchanges in operation. Among
these % were opened in 1906 in places
where service had previously been
given through neighboring offices, bJ,
where the number of subscribers had
increased to a point which made
feasible the establishment OF offices
of their own.
Seven specially constructed cx-
change buildings which were under
way when the year began were open.
ed during its course and six such
buildings were started and completed
In the twelve months. The large
le,epnone building at Worcester ".s
doubled in size; and land was purchas.
ed for structures for the company's s
use In five cities and towns. The
investment made in land and build
ings amounted in all to $259, HI an.
other item OF particular interest 10
the public, since It represents a con
siderable increase in the taxes paid
by the corporation to the benefit OF
the entire community.
The growth of the rural telephone
service OF New England has been par
tcularly notable. Not only has the
number OF subscribers on the New
England company's own farmers
lines increased enormously, but the
number of subscribers or sub-licenset
lines. mostly in rural districts, grew
so percent-from 1873 on the tirst
of January, 1906, TO 27,176 on the
first of January, 1907. The average
number of local calls made through
the exchanges of the system eacl
day was 935,S5S, or an aggregate
for the year OF S01 ,346,O0O Beside
these there was daily average o
5S,5OS toll calls, or altogether 1889 81
I'm the course of the year. To build
maintain and operate the plant 70
handling this traffic the company ha
1868 employees of all classes, of whom
3577 are women.
The financial reports show th
company to be i'm excellent condition
Six percent dividends were paid, anC
in addition, $4,000 Of the bonde
debt was discharged. A furthe
amount of $4,000 of bonds was tai
en- up April of this year. The amour
of capital stock issued at the preser
time is S31.697, 500