The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-02-25
AMERICAN TEL. & TEL. co.


Bell Statistics Outnumber Independ-
ents' Nearly Two to One.
Boston-To the national govern
ment, working through the depart
ment of commerce and labor, be-
longs the credit for having finally
determined the official facts in the
long disputed question as to the rela-
tive size of the Bell and Independent
telephone interests of the United
States.
The government figures for 1907
show 3,132,063 Bell stations and g.
986, ,515 Independent stations or tele-
phones. The Independents have all
along claimed over 100000 sta
tions, or fully 33 per cent. more than
they actually have.
The government figures do not
make any attempt to classify the in
dependents as between "independ-
ent" and Opposition" companies. AS
a matter of fact, of the so-called Gin
dependents fully 100000, or 80
per cent. of the entire number form
through sub-license or service ar
rangements part of the comprehen-
sive Bell system, but in all other re-
spects are independent, self-controll-
ing organizations. At present over
100000 Independents or about 40
per cent. of the total are thus afhl-
lated with Bell lines.
With this very important adjust
ment which the government statis-
tics obviously could not make, it will
be found that instead of the Bell
companies having but $4,000 more
stations than the Independents, the
real figures are something like a.
600, 900 for the Bell, against 2,150,-
900 for the independents, a ratio of
nearly 2 to /. The preponderance of
Bell over independent stations may
be better illustrated by the following
comparison:
Bell system 100000 1,350,000
Independents ..2,15O,0O0 100000
Bell excess ..1,850,000 $4,000
PC.
g. Increase. inc.
Bell system :. :. -.2,650,000 1876
Independents. :. ..1,150,000 115
Bell excess. :. 100000 .-----
In considering these figures, it
should be borne in mind that the
station statistics of the Bell and
connecting systems are all a matter
of record at central point, due to
the fact that the instruments used
by the Bell system are furnished by
the American Telephone Co. Statis-
tics kept by the Bell companies are
as precise as figures of railroad
earnings. instruments used by the
Bell companies are all given out
from one source and are Identical
in type of construction. Therefore,
the statistics of Bell telephone sta
tions are as reliable as balance
sheets or any other financial records.
The relative public utility OF the
Bell and independent telephone IN
terests is not measured by number
of stations so much as by the fact
that the Bell lines are one compre-
hensive and inter-communlcat1ng
system operated under one general
policy and connected with toll and
lines aggregating near
ly 100000 miles in length. The IN
dependents on the other hand are
scattered companies and for the
most part small associations or CO.
operative groups, having with few
conspicuous exceptions no relation
with each other and only limited
connection by local toll lines. The In
struments and apparatus come from
80 or 40 different manufacturers.
There is no uniform accounting sys-
tenn and there is no temptation to
make the figures any smaller than
they actually are. Furthermore,
some Independents report telephones
"a single instrument) while others
conform to the Bell custom and re-
port stations 1.-TWO instrumental. ii
TO this extent the independent fg-
ures are unduly swelled, but there ls
no way of knowing how material
this factor is.
The significant feature OF the
rapid telephone development of the
United States during the last nVe
wears has been this quiet, steady al
f1liation with the American telephone
system of 100000 independent sta
tions. AS a result, thousands OF sub
scribers in the West have to-day
what they have never before enjoyed
the advantage of connection with
the only national telephone service
in the country.
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