The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-08
s. N. E.T. SHOWS
 SPLENDID YEAR
Gain of 9,299 Telephones, Bringing Total in State Up
 to 1883 at Present
ATTITUDE ON UTILITIES
President filling, in Annual Report, Says Company Will Not Oppose Any Reasonable Bill.

Reports read at the annual meeting of the stockholders of the Southern New England Telephone Company yesterday show a prosperous growth for the company for the year end remarkable record of prosperity in the past decade. President John w. Alfing read the report of the board of directors in which the following infor- nation is set forth
 Marked Growth of Year.
 We closed the year with a total of SaSS telephones connected with our Ususm in Connecticut: an increase eent.. as against 7.572 or 11.5 per cent n 1908. Tn this figure of S2.S83 tele- phones in the State. there are lncluo, d l66s telephones. termed connected ecat1ons Gan increase of 1.22o during .fhe eouthern New England system, .are neither owned nor maintained by sla- eithough each telephone has the facflity Of full connection with both Che Southern New England ana the entiro Bell systemA ahoW sn increase for the year of over 1000 telephones. New Haven re rains the largest exchange of tne 6tata with . total of 12.7s0 tele-
 T6~ r~nld development of the busi- neee fn Hartford has in recent years oailod for large plant disbursements. 1 and win do 50 again this year. No eahln in these will be the construc- . eion of . modern gtx-story f1re-proor tAuflding. designed especially for tele- ehons Requirements. and to be located -s,n ne property on Pearl street pur- chased Curing 1909. This building; upon its completion. will be equipped with c large common battery swltcn- board of the latest approved design, with all equipment ad1uncts necessary to change our Hartford main central of3ca from it's present location to the new building.
 Have 5s Exchanges.
 One new exchange. namely Trurn- bul1 was opened during the latter part of the year. making total of 6 exchanges owned and operated by the Southern New England Company .st the close of 1910. Including those uected with the Southern New Eng iand system through traffic agree msnts. the total exchanges now num- Der 6.
 During the year we have continued the work of changing a number of the snaller exchanges from the magneto 10 the common battery type. At the close of the year, therefore. 7S 1-2 per cent. of the total number of the com pany's telephones were equipped and operated on the common battery plan. This work will be continued to a 1911
 Az the wear 1910 marks the close of another decade. 1t would be alike In tsrestinR and profitable. at this point. to make comparisons of this years re- suits with the conditions of the year 1900. According to the United States census the population of that portion of Connecticut included in this com- pany's operations has increased in the decade 1ss.ss4.- a little over one-fifth' period. the number of telephones con- nected with the Southern New Eng land system has increased from 1b.- PTS to 82.ss3 or 442 1-2 per cent. over fourfold. Likewise, the estimated yearly total of local calls from these telephones has grown from l9.OOo.O0o to 1f0 0co. .00o or 532 per cent
 A comparison of the increase In population with the increase in the use of telephone service shows that while in 1900 there was one telephone 10 each 5e people in the State. today the population.
 Continuing the above comparison into our financial report, we find that our yearly revenue has increased in the decade a. .e66. .62o 15. or z6S per cent. the expense $1.ST. .172.55. or 276 per cent: while the increase in investment has amounted to s6.7s1. .7S5.66. or 204.6 per cent
 AS q further measure of the growth in our business in this period. it is well to call attention to the fact that the New Haven exchange alone has today moro telephones than were in the fourteen city exchanges combined at the close of 1900: or. by way of fur ther comparison. the New Haven ex- change has today greater number of tire State of Connecticut at the be- ginning of the year 1900.
 For another comparison of inter- ct. and as also illustrating the rapid change in both method and equip rnsnt which has taken and will con- tinue to take place in our business we point out that in 1900 there were only 1000 (about one-twelfth of the totaD common battery telephones in service in Connecticut. while today there are over 65.00o. or IS 1-2 per cent of the total equipped and oper- ated-
 Expanding Rural Services.
 The company during the develop ment of the past decade has given much attention to and expended large sums of money on the provision of what may be termed rural service. ir distinction to the service in and around the large cities. It seems well therefore. to point out at this time that of the 5S exchanges owned anG operated by the Southern New Eng land Company. 4s are located with reference to and serve rural sections These 45 exchanges now connect 2 total Of 22. $50 telephones. or 2S.3 pel cent. of the total. This figure. if con trasted with the condition of 1900 is worthy of note when it is seen that on that date there were 24 exchanges serving S.014 subscribers, or 20.1 pei cent of the total. an increase during the 10 years of 19.936 telephones of tho rural class or e61.4 per cent. as con rrasted with the increase in all sta tions of 4425 per cent
 On Public Utilities.
 There are pending in the Genera Assembly three general bills for tht regulation of public service corpora. tons
 D The bills drafted by the publi, utility commission created by the Gen eral Assembly of 1907 and reported t, the General Assembly of 1909.
 f2D The bill presented to the pres ent General Assembly by the Stat Business Mems association.
 (sl The bill which proposes to ere ate a court or commerce for regula fion of public service corporations
 The Southern New England Tele phone company will Tot oppose tn passage of any reasonable bill for thu regulation of public service corpora tions. and hopes that a bill can b, framed satisfactory to all the interest," involved
 A few observations on this subjec