The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-03-20
10000 TOWNS
" ARE REACHED
. BY BELL PHONE
THERE Is A TOTAL or $7,456,o74
TELEPHONE STATIONS IN THE
BELL SYSTEM WHICH is BIG IN.
CREASE OVER PREVIOUS YEAR,

CREASE OVER PREVIOUS YEAR.
The report Just issued by the Amert'
can Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany for the year ending December
81. 1872, shows that the telephone has
become III the United States TO a
greater extent than anywhere else in
the world, household necessity
There are now 10000 towns, cities,
and hamlets from which telephone
messages may be sent. This is 5000
more than The number Of post Offices
in the United States: 10000 more
than the number Of railroad stations
and neriy three times the number
OF regular telegraph offices. There
are. altogether 7.456,O74 terpehone sta
il lions OF the Bell System, which is an
increase over last year OF S23449 sta
tiOns. This compares with an in
crease during the previous year Of
| 749,906 stations.
/ Including the traffic over the long
distance liues, but not including the
connecting companies, the daily aver.
| age of toll connections in 1912 was
/ about 73S,OOO. and OF exchange CON,
nectons 25,572,00O. This compares
with G45.OOO and 22,4S4,OO0 in 1871.
Spenking broadly this means that the
daily average OF telephone conversa'
| lions last year reached @G%1%.O00. or
ut II rate Of about S.4G2OOO,0OO for
the year, as again 24.129.OOO III 1911
Wien the rate was 7.77O.O0O a year.
Scarcely any corporation in the Uni
ted States has its capital stock more
widely distributed than the Amerl'
can Telephone and Telegraph com.
pany. 4 majority of the shares are
held by women and less than per
cent is held in the name CT brokerage
houses. The average lumber OF
shares held By each stakeholder at
the close Of 1872 was shown 10 be &c.
The number Of shareholders on the
books of the American Telephone and
Telegraph company at the close Oi the
last year was 5O.297, which indicates
an increase for the year Of 9,95G.
The company has worked hard to
secure the long planned ocean to
ocean service. On this point PrGsl'
dent Vail says:
.,Experienre with the engineering
devices aud methods emulOyed in the
New YOrk.llrnver line have demon
strated their value under severe praC-
zeal conditions. Il systematic introduce
ton of these Improvements was uTI'
| derlakcn and actively prosecuted
Throughout the United States so that
at the end of 1912 there VAS a total
or j4,75U miles Of the heaviest gauge
wires equipped with the new arrange
mrnt. thus doubling their transmits
sion efficiency aud in addition 10 this
there were obtained, without any en-
peuditurC for new wires. phantom cur
cults, equivalent 10 $4,000 miles OF
| the heaviest gauge circuit. These I'M
plovements have brought INTO Commu.
nicatiCn with each other Places form
| prlv too rcmute, aud between Il great
number of pieces less remote. note
worthy Improvements in the SER
vice have been reported.
Eng inreling plans have been com
pleted for the extension Of -four heavy
copper wires FROM Denver TO san
Francisco and construction work is
10 commence as soon as the weather
permits.
In thirty.threc different States there
are public service and other State
commissions which supervise the tcle-p
phone service, This supervision Is
entirely distinct from the supervision
OF the Interstate Commerce Commits.
sion. The report contains the interest
ing letter addressed by Attorney Gen:
eral Wickershsm to the Chairman OF
the Interstate Commerce Commission
at washington touching the actiyil.
lies III comp una ltas order
made by. tile InFers te CONNIE rces
Atsonmiss ion sas o JannafY lsth last
iifeetlAs Bss EeFcse lRssgtiga
tion ps lp4pe ''0neerplns'llle history