New-York tribune., 1908-01-06

Some of these totals 20 be sure were obtained
by calculations based upon previous rates OF
growth. for it is unfortunately fact that one can
not always get very recent figures from outlying
parts of the world Particularly where the tele-
phone administered by the government statistics
likely be belated
Even in this country although the returns from
all the Bell companies promptly embodied in
each annual report of the American Telephone ana
Telegraph Company. certain amount OF estihidt-
ing, on the basis of earlier reports had to be done
In order to get g line on the strength oil the So
called independent" companies. IS IS generaIiy
known. there about seven thousand OF these
companies in the United States and Canada
Statistical confusion inevitably results from d
condition in which great many companies are
operating with no common standards of operation
methods of handling their financial affairs Inc
only occasion which a comprehensive
statistical enumeration of the Independents mas
been made was at the time of issuance of the
bulletin of the United States census bureau under
the date OF December 81, 1902. The figures pre-
sented in this report telephones and telesraphs
gave the statisticaE at least a basis on Whlch 10
work In trying To ascertain the present SITUATION
He also had figures given out by independent teie-
phone associations of the states of Ohio, Iowa.
Indiana Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nebraska
These arc states i which the Independent move
ment is strongest, and whatever conditlons preFali
there are likely be typical of the whole country
These figures of the independents seem to prove
ginning of 1907 the Bell companies of the United
States gained 119 per cent in number of their sub
scribers, the independents in he states mentioned
enjoyed approximate growth of 10 per cent
On the theory that the expansion of the indepen-
dents in other states has been on the average as
great in their particular strongholds of the
Middle West, the number of their stations at the
beginning of the present year should have been
between 1S00,o0D and 100000.
During the general recession of business in 1891
il might have been expected that there would be
a falling off in the of the telephone. Reports
from various parts of the Bell system, however.
are said indicate that if there has been falling
off in the rate of growth il has been compare
lively slight In districts forces Of solicitors
have been cut down and the companies have founc
that demand for service continues SO brisk that
subscribers come in just the same. The inde-
pendents, may have profited by this same dis
position the part of the public to regard the
telephone a necessity instead of luxury.
Evidences of the popular demand, the stat
istician has observed, to be noted in reports
of the industry from all the world. In most
European lands the number of telephone subscrib-
ers doubles once every six d seven years, a rate
of growth much slower than that prevailing among
the companies of this country, but still sufficient
to show how popular the telephone is becoming
abroad The European totals are beginning be
impressive, too. Germany. at the beginning of the
present year had 67s,s55 telephones in use Great
Britain 4s101S. All told, however, there were in
in Europe, with population of approximately
425 900 only about 40 per cent many telephones
in the United States. with population of about
5000 eco that there is still for something
of the expansion which has been so marked a feat
ure of the industrial life of the United States in
the last ten or twelve years. American methods
operation and Bell telephones, the products OF
the New York factory of the Western Electric
Company, being introduced into many out
the way parts of the world Even the Sultan of
Turkey has not interfered lately with certain tele-
phone install ations i'll his realm