The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-29
FIGURES OF REMARKABLE
 TELEPHONE DEVELOPMENT
Evelyn Harris Is Publicity Manager Of
 The Biw InstftutiOR.

Evelyn Harris, who is the publicity manager of the Southern Bell Tele- phone and Telegraph Company, comes of illustrious literary stock. He is a son of the late Joel Chandler Harris CUncle Remus) and a brother of Julian Harris, editor of Uncle Remus' Nigga zine. For a number of years Evelyn Harris was connected with The Att lanta Constitution as reporter and as city editor. where his ability as a writer and executive manager had wide opportunity. He assumed man. agement of the publicity department of the telephone company several years ago and in his study of prac- tical economic problems has done splendid work as q writer on these complex subjects.
 The development of the telephone in the South during the past five years has been unprecedented. and to provide plant facilities sufficient to take care of the traf1c and to keep pace with the growth of the section, has been a serious problem for the Southern Bell Telephone and Tele- graph Company. The territory cov- cred by this company includes the seven States of West Virginia, Vir- ginia, North Carolina South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Five years ago the company's services in this territory embraced:
 Ninety-nine exchanges.
 Forty-two thousand stations.
 Seven thousand and nine hundred miles of toll circuit.
 Today it embraces:
 Two hundred and seventy-four ex- changes.
 One hundred and twenty-one thou sand stations L ; Thirty thousand sniles of toll cur cult, together with $500 farmers line sta ations (with contracts for 1,500 more) and the following sub-siIence connectIons:
 Four hundred exchanges.
 Sixty thousand stations.
 Ten thousand miles of toll pole line, approximating 10000 miles of toll cir cult.
 Twenty Millions Invested.
 The investment of the Southern Bell Company in exchange buildings and equipment and in toll. circuit and pole lines. is approximately $20,000,- 900. 1t is maintained at a high state of efficiency. The headquarters of the company are located in Atlanta and moro than 6,000 employees are on the rolls. The handling of the company's business, which involves property of such enormous value and the efficient serving of such widely different inter, ests. has resulted in 8 carefully planned and highly developed organi- zation.
 The farmers line service, which has as It's ultimate end the placing of in every farm house in the South, has shown a remarkable growth. Within the next Ave years the company expects to have 15O,000 line stations in service and to grow to 250,OO0 exchange stations.
 The telephone. until a few years ago, was regarded as an experiment and a Today it Is one of the most important factors in the com merciaI and social life of the country, and 1t Is yet in its infancy.
 AtIanta's Telephone System.
 Atlanta, with 12.000 telephones, leads all the cities in this company's The plant in Atlanta is one of the finest in the country and was improved by the addition of 6 branch exchange building on Au- burn avenue. This new exchange was at an expense of more than S1O0,000, and provided telephone facilities for the future growth of Atlanta. The telephone growth of the city has been in keeping with It's pro- gress in all other directions and has required a large and constant invest ment to provide the necessary facili- ties. The headquarters of the com pany in Atlanta give the officials easy access to any section of the wide ter rttorv