Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-11-19
TELEPHONE EXPERTS DIS.
CUSS ACCOUNTING SYS-
TENS BEFORE R. r. COM.

The railroad commission had an in.
tereSting session yesterday afternoon
when ". A. Pixley, general auditor
for various western branches of the
Bell Telephone System, addressed
the board on Bookkeeping for tele.
phone companies. In addition to Mr..
Pixley, Frank Bracelin of Fargo, man
ager of the Northwestern Telephone
Exchange company, General Manager
Richardson and District Manager
Shuman of the North Dakota Inde-
pendent Telephone company, were
present and participated in the gener-
al discussion of telephone matters.
Discusses Accounting.
Mr.. Pixley went into the matter Of
bookkeeping and reporting by tele.
phone companies at considerable
length, explaining the system pre-.
scribed BY the Interstate Commerce
Commission for all companies doing
q business of owe $4,000 net receipts
per year, these being divided int,
three classes according to the bust.
ness done, and emphasized the i'm.
portance of the system as keeping
the companies advised at all times of
the exact status of their business and
enabling the national and state com.
missions accurately to keep tab on
and regulate them. He advised that
a simplihed form be prepared by the
state commission for the small cor
po%rations and farmers lines, as by so
doing the commission would be doing
these companies a real favor by thus
putting them in the way Of earning
better returns through better systems
of bookkeeping administration and
service. ~
Answers Questions.
For four hours Mr.. Pixley answered
a running fire Of questions and all
present cleaned a good insight into
how the large companies handled this
intricate businss, and also how the
smaller companies had been brought
up to equal efficiency through practi-
cal business methods, which, contrary
to the general impression, did not cost
much to install, but which paid large
ly, as stated, in efficiency and savings.
1nasmuch as the new telephone law
directs the state railroad commission
to follow the lines of the Interstate
Commerce Commission in promulgat'
ing forms for reporting and bookeep'
ing, the board will shortly send out
forms for reporting and will require
every telephone organization, big and
little, which serves more than one
person, to make report to the commits
sion on the first day of January next
Forms calling for a statement of rates
charged will also be sent out, so that
an analysis of this submit may be
made and adjustments made where
| such are found necessary.
Deny Petition.
Last evening the commission held
another meeting and did the follow
ing business: Petition for new depo'
| at Chama denied because the freight
receipts we're below the $4,000 limit
Request of the Northern Pacific tt
| close Voss station untll next August
granted because the receipts had fall
en- below $4,000 per year. Reques
to close the Northern Pacific station
at Johnstown denied because the re
ceipts did not warrant closing. Re
quest to close Northern Pacific sta
tion at woods until next August grant
ed because receipts had fallen off.
In addition to this a large amour
of routine business was taken care o.
by the board.