Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1916-04-01
ss2. sss.717 added to plant and real es-

$32.S63.717 added to plant and real es-
tate last year and 1t Is estimated that
$57.00O,OoO will be spent in plant ad-
ditions during the current year.
The gross revenue in 1915 of the
Bell System, not including the con- |
Meeting independent companies. was
seas. 800. 600: an increase OF over S13,-
900. 900 over last year. OF this. opera
ton consumed SS4.5O0.UOO: taxes $13,-
100000 or 1.6f percent on the out
standing capital obligations: current
maintenance s31.2OO.O0O and provision
for depreciation $44.9OO.OOO. The sur
I plus available for charges, etc. was
! $66.2OO.00O OF which s1S,100,000 was
paid in interest and S32 100000 was
paid in dividends
/ During the past eight years the
gross earnings have increased SILL
100000 while the assets have in
creased nearly 100000. with an in.
crease of capital obligations and pay
ables outstanding OF only $27$.6O0,o0G.
AS an evidence Of the cheapncss Of
telephone service it Is shown that net
earnings are only 5.S4 percent of the
book value and other assets, and that
; dividends and interest are only 4.I6
percent on the plant and other assets.
using in both cases the book value
; which il less than the appraisal value.
In the three years 1913-1915 inclu'
sive, the expenditures from the Benefit
. Funds of the Bell Companies have az
. gregated $3.779.S96. The reserves for
this fund are s9,114,329 and during
1915 the payments for pensions, sick
ness, accident and death benefits were
S1,397.742.
The net earnings of the American
Telephone & Telegraph company fol
the year we're S41,117,4S7. The inter
est charges were s6,49sS49. and the
dividends al the regular rate of s per
cent per annum were $29,100,591. o.
the resulting balance there wGI car
ried TO reserves $2,50OOO0 and 10 sur
plus sS,O1S.Oi6.
The number of stockholders. 65,5l2
not including the $4,000 "employee'
: shareholders who are paying for stool
:. out of their wages. shows an incrCas'
I. OF 6097 The majority of the com
I: pany's shareholders are women. TIL
!, financing for 1916 was taken care o
/. by the sale OF $5O,OOO,O0O Az percen
: coupon notes.
/; The formal opening of the transcOr
{. tinental telephone line from Bosto,
!. and New York on the Atlantic sea
: board to San Francisco on the Pacific
!. on January %, 1915, has been 70
Z. lowed by the extension OF "eXtrem
:: distance" transmission into all III
: states of the Union and the nccessar
!. changes in plant and equipment wi
= be continued TO make il possible 70
+ any subscriber to talk with any othc
!. subscriber regardless OF distance
= This is being done by smoothing an
i easing the transmission over the Ion
!. lines, and therefore necessitatcs n
!! change in the subscribers tclephor
:: or local line.
+ BY means of radio or wireless tell
: phony the Engineering department ha
during The year greatly extended I'll
+ area over which the tones of the HI
!: man lice can be transmitted. SpCec
= has been transmitted hy wire frol
i New York to Arlington. Eva, an
!. thence by wireless TO the radio static
!. at Mare island, California. BY the!
:: new wireless improvements speed
:; has also been transmitted by rad
!. telephony from Arlington to the Eff
Z Tower in Paris, and simultaneously
i the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific.
!. -o-