The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-08-19
FIVE OF BELL
SYSTEMS MERGE
coMPANY's BUSINESS IN MIcHl-
GAN AND OTHER STATES
UNDER ONE ADMIN
ISTRATIoN.

An operating merger of the five Bell
telephone companies doing business in
Michigan, wisconsin, Illinois. Indiana
and Ohio. with the exception Of a few
counties. has recently been effected.
The new organization is the second
largest telephone operating unit in the
world, covering an area of 900
square miles, serving 1S,5OOOOO people,
and operating 1,474,402 telephones. The
companies included in the merger are
the Michigan State Telephone com
pany, the Chicago Telephone company,
the Wisconsin Telephone company, the
Central Union Telephone company and
the Cleveland Telephone company.
The reorganization does not effect
the corporate identity Of any of the
companies and there is no merger of
properties. That the operating combi-
nation will be of great advantage. both
to the companies and TO their patrons,
is already apparent 1t is expected
that it will result in a great expansion
Of business and that economies, in op-
Grafton can be effected.
The merger of the five companies in
to a central group for operating pur-
poses nominally went into effect May
| /, but it will be several months before
all the details are worked out. The
operating headquarters heretofore
maintained at Milwaukee, indianapolis,
Cleveland and Detroit. have been form
ally abolished and the administrative
control of the five companies has been
centered i'm Chicago. where joint head
quarters have been opened in the build
ing formerly occupied by the Chicago
Telephone company. To provide for
more adequate headquarters. plans
have already been made for the erec-
ton of a twenty story office building
ladjoining the one now occupied
System Applied to Michigan.
Local exchanges in Michigan are
now under the direct management and
control of, the Detroit office, as here
tofore, but the Detroit Office is sub
sidiary to the Chicago headquarters.
one of the changes affecting the upper
peninsula management is the intro
duction Of a functional system Of add
ministration. whereby the commercial,
traffic and plant Departments of the
business are separated and are under
the management of different men. To
date, only the state and district offices
have been functionalized, but eventu-
ally the system will be extended to
| IN
Under the functionalized system, X
S Baker. formerly district manager
for the upper peninsula. is now distrlc,
commercial manager and district traf-
hc chief, while Frank sullivan. form
erly upper peninsula wire chief is
now district plant chief. Mr.. Bakers
duties are now concerned entirely with
the business management and opera
ton of the Bell system in the upper
peninsula, while Mr.. Sullivan has full
charge of the mechanics and equip
ment that make the system possible
Mr.. Baker works under G.. NJ. Welch
commercial superintendent, and c.. T.
Kerwin, traffic superintendent, both To-
Gated in Detroit, while Mr.. Sullivan
Is under c. l.. Boyce, plant superin-
tendent also located i'm Detroit. The
Detroit superintendent. in turn are
under general commercial. traffic and
plant superintendent, whose head
4 quarters are in Chicago.
As is readily recognized. the new
system is i'm line with the tendency
toward specialization which is one oi
the unique characteristics of the TWEEN
tieth century business world Instead
of familiarizing himself with all de-
partments of the telephone business
the individual employe will fall into
that department of the business foi
which he is best fitted, and will be-
come a specialist in that line. With
every department under the manage
ment of specialists in their particular
field of work. 1t is expected that the
efficiency of every branch of the serv-
ice will be increased.