The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-16
May MERGE TWO
BELL COMP PANIES
Rocky Mountain and Colorado
Likely to Come Into Con-
SOlidatiOn.
WOULD GIVE ENORMOUS
TERRITORY FOR SERVICE
Policy of Parent Company Tn
derStoOd to Be COmprehen-
sive System.

Are the Rocky Mountain Bell Tele-
phone and the Colorado Telephone com
penies TO be merged in one company.
with the Colorado corporation as the
parent concern?
This Is the conclusion reached in Bos-
ton financial circles. which, by the way
have been also telephone headquarters
for the United States. In the Boston
News Bureau OF June 10 is the follow
ing:
solldation Of the Rocky Mountain com
pany into the Colorado. This VIII m
volve an authorization from stockholders
OF the latter company TO increase lts
stock The consolidation VIII be Wei
come news 10 minority holders oi the
Rocky Mountain company in New Eng
land, who have been without DIVIDENDS
FOR nearly four years
For several weeks past the rumor of
merger OF the Utah and Colorado com
panics has been persistent. Telephone
officials have uniformly declined 10 TAX
about such n proposition. lnvarably
they assert entire ignorance OF any such
plar. President II. Vance Lane OF the
Rocky Mountain Bell yesterday assumed
this attitude when shown the clipping
from the News Bureau. Il am not IN
position. to either deny or affirm H.. he
plan OF This sort. Such a merger is
among the possibilities, but do not
know that i, is contemplated.
Look for Merger.
Other men interested in telephone de-
vcopment. believe that there is a strong
proha bility of the Rocky Mountain Bell
Colorado merger. as 1t would be In line
with what they understand TO be the
policy Of the American Telephone and
telegraph company. which is the parent
company OF all the Bell companies OF the
country and which holds n controlling
stock interest IN all OF these companies.
The American Telephone company has
fIs l.
Ing the United States into about ten
great geographical districts which will
be administrative districts reporting di-
rcctly TO the president In New York. For
instance. New England VIII be one dis
trict, Michigan. Ohio. Indiana and ILL.,
nois collectively Will be another. Re
by the Rocky Mountain Bell TO the Pa :
cific States company. as this territory
naturally belonged TO the latter, even
though in the Rocky Mountain Bells por-
tion OF the country All over the coun-
try this welding together OF territory 10
make big administrative districts has
been going on for some time. so that In
the opinion OF observers the Colorado
Rocky Mountain Bell merger seems not
Only a reasonable expectation, but even
n probability.
Gives Immense Territory.
Such combination as suggested would
give the new company tremendous ter
ritory. The Rocky Mountain Bell COM
pany now covers Utah. Wyoming. Mon
tana and all OF Idaho except the pan
--andle. In the territory OF the Colorado
company are Included Colorado and New
Mexico. as well as part OF southeast
ern Arizona
The Rocky Mountain Bell has assets
totaIing s9.1Ss. .G23.s1, while It's liabilities
include $2.359. 800 of capital stock. sur
plus Of slSl.524sT and bills payable
amounting to SsT65. .55S. 01. II has a total
OF el.6l6 stations. an increase for the
year OF s614 II has a total length Of
wire Of 1875 sos 9 miles, an increase since
December 81, 1909. OF lS.S65.9 miles.
The Colorado company has d capital
stock of ss,500.000. with bills payable
amounting TO sl322 900. II has S0.96T
stations. with SODA stations OF connect
Ing companies and sub-licensee stations.
n grand total OF SS.9I1