Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-03-07
PHONE FIGURES
ARE COMPARED
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. PRE-
PAHES REPORT ON TELEPHONES
IN UNITED STATES FOR YEARS
lgu3. 1907 aud 1912.
(Spcciad 10 Thc HcraIdl /.

VI.
Washington. Ia g.. March 1.-Prclim-
]qucnnial report pn telephones ~ the
United States have been given ont by
Director W. u. Harris uf the Bureau
Of Census. Department Of Commerce.
They we're prepared under the >upcryis
ion Of W. NJ. stuart. chief stati>ticiau
for manufactures.
The statistics relate III the wears end
ing December ~. 1902. 1901 and 1872.
They include the total wire mileage and
he total number Of telephones report
rd for All Sy>tcni> IN the United States
that were IN operation al or any part of
hose Years. They du not include private
telephone lines u~cd exclusively for COM
municltion between different depart
mcntS az the same establishment unless
connected with lines elsewhere through
re- private OF branch exchange. The mum
her ~ telephones includes an installed.
including those furnishing service
through private branch exchanges. IL.
cal pay. aud OUTLYING toll stations.
During the wear 1912 the length of
wire used nn The telephone lines IF the
United States amounted - HO.2l>.i.i
miles. This represents a gain ~ l53lI.
~ miles during The decade. n" nm in
crease of 3l32 per cent; there were \.
80 ~ telephones Ia ne. or G.%,>.Jl>
more than the number reported for lHoe
AN increase uf 49, per cent.
The number Of telephones reported
Is the Bell Telephone StStcm increased
~ lbs per cent during the period from
1907 90 1904. and by G2l per cent from
1907 10 1872. During the same periods
the number 81 telephones reported ~ at
other companies and systems increased
~ H.; I per cent and ; per cent. RESPECT
lively. IN 1907 The Fell System controlled
~ per cent 81 the wire AMI J>3 per cent
.,f he telephones. The proportion nf the
total wire mileage and total number ~
|t~rlcnhunc> owned bN the Bell Telephone
~,~trW has increased during the decade
while l,at owned IN the independent
companies ha> decreased.
TIL purpose 81 telephone companies
~, ~ afford communication between dis
iart points. and the amount Of business
H. usual, expressed IN the number Of
.cpara;c messages ar talks that pass
Nrr the wires While some companies
keep nn %accurat" account IF the number
= mc>>lccS a. i rule no record j. made
fium which accurate statistics can hr
-lmrilcd. II H. estimated thar there wrr,
Ifa.-.;1 f-IN.3i5 mr.>auc> cr talks sent
aver The telephone lines ot companies
vhirh had an income ~ VIZ least ~ hhl
during 1917 a message may represent
either "a Few words or y long conversation
nd therefore does not indicate ~ the
extent to which the uuipmcnti> used. "
was impnS.ihlc a. obtain even an est
mate of the number of conversations
over the private branch wires ANA thu
partv lines which a. mot require inter
connection at the public or central cN
-haucp>. VI estimates were required con
a%trnirn the number ~ messages for the
llU2.>il telephones nu the lines of small
ramnarir> which had ln income If les
h,u -.lu0O duriue 1912. Messages fol
hp>c smaller systems were included NJ
some extent ~ he orn>uS ~ 1902: there
fore The statistics ~ messages Reported
cor the three wears ore rnt STRICTLY com
parable and the, should mot he cnn~id
nrvl a> r~cpro>cnfinp the tufnl 'mount q
business trars,ctcl hv telephone Svs.
tens ~ the United states during III
wear lHl.