Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-05-05
MILLION TALKS A DAY.

| lana Tel. X lei. 20.
Nearly million calls day is the aver
age patronage of the New England Tele-
phone & Telegraph Co., according to the
annual report OF Gen. Thomas Sherwin,
its president. The exact figures given are
approximately, 3o1 600 600 local calls and
| 15,s0O,0o0 toll calls for the year 1908, and
they emphasize the widespread usefulness
OF the telephone and its intimate relation
to the business and social life OF the COM
munity. 1t is estimated by careful OBJ
server that 100000 persons, or about
one-third OF the population Of New Eng
land, are in daily touch with telephone
service.
| Therapid development Of the company
is another feature OF the report that
forcibly strikes one as he peruses the
figures presented. Last year only 1879
stations were added, owing to restrictive
policy induced by the unsettled conditions
OF business. For 1909, however, an in
| crease Of q, 900 stations is expected.
Considering that the New England Tele-
phone & Telegraph Co. was not organized
until 1888, it is interesting to note that liz
the four northern New England states in
which it operates, the system Of which it
is the centre had, at the end of 1908, 30i,-
500 telephones connected Herewith, a
number that has since increased to over
312. 900.
For the past year or more the Massa-
chusetts highway commission has been
making study of the affairs of this COM
pany, and only recently published its in
ventory. From this it appears that the
appraisal value of its property is $780,
SIG, while its total outstanding liabilities
in the form Of stocks, bonds and notes is
only s3s, a3e,s50.
The report also points out that in the
past ten years, despite the advance in the
rate of wages and the cost of material,
economies in operation and improvements
in the art have enabled various rate re-
auctions in consequence of which the re-
venue per station has dropped from
an average OF S71.13 to 1910.
With reference to the purchase of the
Northeastern Telephone Co., the Lewiston
& Auburn Telephone Co., and the
Cum berland Telephone Co., in Maine, it
appears that stocks and bonds aggregating
sl,571 900 were purchased for $4,000.
THE outcome OF these enterprises" the
directors say, furnishes a striking iliustra-
ton of the fruitlessness and waste of estao-
fishing a second telephone system in field
where one company is already serving the
public efficiently and fairly. Sooner later
failure and disaster to follow the
undertaking. These companies had been un-
successful almost from the start, and had
proved a detriment rather than an advantage
TO the communities in which they operated,
burdeping a large number OF subscribers with
a duplication of charges for service"
Among other statistics OF development
during the year appears a statement re-
garding the amount Of conduit construc-
ton by the company, by which it appears
that it already has, underground, a total
OF more than 5000 miles OF duct.
The financial showing for the year was
very satisfactory. The gross revenue was
S11 ,25a 100. 15 an increase of s579 50i. 80 over
the preceding year. The expenses were
S. ,69S, 717.24, an increase of S1S5, 29i go,
while the net revenue was 3, $50, 1921, an
increase of 1894 ,209.79. six per cent. !
dividend was declared and new capital to
the amount of So, 926, 600 was issued. As
the telephone furnishes pretty good in
dex OF business conditions, the confidence |
with which this report regards the i'm |
mediate future would seem to presage a |
belief in general Improvement in indus |
trial affairs