The Washington times., 1914-03-16

and Government operation of telephone
| and telegraph. and adds that the tele-
| phone now reaches more places than
there are postoffices.
The American public has been edu-
Gated TO depend on the most efficient.
most extended telephone service in the
world" MIR. Vail concludes. The rela-
/ tive number OF the people reached Is
the largest and the average cost to
he lowest of any important
system in the world. 1t will not tolerate
IS, unuer private ownership it Will not
pay more"
During the past year subscribers tele-
phone stations have increased until now
there are S.1S3,0l7. a gain of 676,9iS. These
stations reach 10,O10 localities or 1000
more than the number of postoftices:
The total wire mileage is 16,l11,0ll, Of
which 90 per cent is copper.
More tnan half the w-re mileage is
underground, the total underground
plant representing a cost of sls1. 10000.
The number of daily telephone con-
nections showed growth OF nearly
., ,000, coo, reaching an average of 21,23. .000
day. Europe has only two-fifths of
the telephone traffic of the United
States.
!, The extension of the telephone plant
during the year amounted to s5.S1, $50
making a total for fourteen years of
s6i6. .9l5, 200. According to present esti-
mates the construction for the current
year will cost in the neighborhood of
S5e, ,Go0,0 600, of which the local resources
of the companies will supply s25,oco,oco.
Revenue S2Is,6oo, 900.
The rsSort says:
The gross revenue in 1913 Of the Bell
syster,>-not including the connected in
dependent Companies-was s215,690,0O0; an
increase of over sl6,0o0000 over last year.
OF this, operation consumed s15, 400, 600;
taxes s11, ,3OO. .00C. or ~ per cent on the
| outstanding capital obligations: current
| maintenance, s32,5o0.ooo, and provision
for depreciation, $37, 1O0. CO.,
The surplus available for charges,
etc, was $4,000, of which SIC. 700 coo
was paid ir interest and over So, 300, 600
| was paid in dividends.
The total capitalization, including
inter-company items and Implications
but excluding reacquired securities Of
the companies or the Bell system. is
s., $50 242 41C. OF this s6a0. .127 ,0S5 is owned
and in the treasury of the companies of
the Bell system. The capital stock.
bonds and notes payable outstanding in
the hands OF the public at the close Of
the year were $40, 115,3S+ If to this be
added the current accounts payable,
SIC, 47l, ,eSl, the total outstanding ohliga-
tions of every kind were s196,oSI ,O65 as
"-llCI llltTc were GSStlS.
cash and current accounts receivable, Of
So 2377 ,SS5, leaving S12i, 349. 80 as the mel
permanent capital obligations of the
whole system outstanding in the hands
Of the public
The associated companies. excluding
the American Telephone and Telegraph
Company, show net earnings to plant
and otter assets of 5.6g Der cent. and
dividends and interest Of f.y2 per cent
Taken by itself. the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company shows
net earnings of si0,576, 746.19. an increase
of s.. .569, ,l0l SO over 1872. The total out
standing capital stock and bonds were
S;04, 2n7, 900, which represent payments
into the treasury of over S2i, so, go more
than the par value of the capital obliga-
tionS.
The number OF shareholders, 55 ,9S3,
showed an increase of $685. during the
year.