Evening journal., 1909-08-13
CHINA CALLED
TO The PHONE

Add an inch to every shirt tail in
China $50 some disciple of Walter Bal
lard down South has figured it) and
our Southern States could export, p
100000 more bales of cotton 10 the Ori-
ent every year. Prophetic figures
about China-but which have to 10
with telephone installation-were spun
ut along the same lines yesterday in
the Offices of the Western Electric
Company at 1853 West street when o
D. Street of the Western Electric told
Of the contract for the installation OF
modrn American telephone system
in PelSin that has just been award
ed by the Chinese Empire to his COM
pany against the bids Of English, Ger
man, French and other foreign manu-
facturers.
A commission composed Of THREE
Chicago Government officials toured
Europe and America about two years
ago 20 look over telephones. This
commission agreed with the Western
Electric people-who manufacture the
Bell Telephone Company's equipment
that New York has the best tele-
phone system in existence. A cable
gram just received from the Western
| Electrlc's Chinese agents, the Arm
! hold karberg Company of Tientsia.
announcing the award from the Chi
nese Government is the result.
Tho two switchboards that will FIRST
be installed in Pekin. one at each end
Of the city. win cost approximately
S15o,OOO
/ This opening contract" explained
Mr. Sweet yesterday. "wiu call attcn-
tion TO the tremendous field now open
TO electrical companies throughout .he
United states. for this Is but begin
ming and the field is open TO all. It's
another indication of the awakening
Of the Chinese 10 the value OF modern
things.
"China really has no telephone sys-
tenn now For all the 40o.o0o.o0o or
moro souls i'm the empire there are
about 1000 telephones. These are all
OF the old hand ringing, obsolete kind
( and are installed mainly In the homes
Of foreigners. who use them merely
FOR social intercourse, not for shopping
and trade as we do. They couldn't
; use them as New Workers DO II they
wanted TO because each little exchange
connects with about 100 phones. and
no two exchanges have trunk con-
, nectlons."
Mr.. sweet gave a better notion Of the
, possibilities open to enterprising Amer
: ican manufacturers when he gave a
forecast Of what will come TO pass II
. China shows an increase of per cent.
? in the use of telephones in the next
twenty years. II has been estimated
that n the United states keeps up
only it's present rate of telephone ex-
pansion there will be one telephone
10 every five Americans twenty years
hence.
"But suppose China's increase during
a like period" said Mr.. Sweet. were
7 only per cent.-a ridiculously low
; figure. compared to ours-China IN
1880 will have 100000 telephones. which
, with the switchboards and other equip
= ment viii mean a Chinese expenditure
Of 81 900 .Ooo. .0oo."
! When the Chinese telephone commits
sion visited New York and European
cities two years ago everybody got
busy. The Western Electric sent one
OF the company engineers, G. +. Pin
free, 20 Pckin. where he was Joined
by representatives from Siemens and
Balske. the big German concern; the
Ericsson people aud the English and
French bidders.
Tho death of the. Chinese Dowager
Empress and Of the Emperor delayed
negotiations for some time. The erl-
pire, however. viii go ahead tentative
" with the two switchboards. several
hundred thousand feet of lead covered
aerial and underground cable-most cf
II underground-and a first installation
Of $500 telephones as a starter.
Do not forget TO use the A. O. Z. w.
lffckatr an all c,~irrs care ton,orro-,t