The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-07
co.
WILL ESTABLISH
J ANOTHER BRANCH
"Noble" Exchange, Named
After Gen. Noble, Planned
BY Officials.

The annual meeting OF the stock
boiders Of the Southern New England
Telephone Co., who approved the an
Il n11al report and reelected the dlrec-
tors. held in New Haven, yesterday,
discloses that many improvements In
telenhone service have been made in
/ Bridgeport and vicinity during the
/ last year and that others are contem-
/ plated for 1917.
with an expenditure of $1,OOO,OoO
already authorized, Bridgeport Will
! have a new exchange office located
! on the East Side to be called the
Noble unit in. memory OF Gen.
! william H. Noble who, with T. 4.
i Barnum. was instrumental in the
! early development of this city.
Hundreds Of miles Of additional
wire will be strung throughout the
rural districts Of Fairfield county, the
Newtown exchange will be re-equlp-
ped and in operation by March ana
q greatly enlarged switchboard room
! and plant will be established at the
central office in Bridgeport.
For 1917 these directors we're re-
| elected: Lyman B. Jewell, James
English. A. Heaton Robertson, john
w. Alling, Theodore N. Vail, James
T. Moran, Victor Morris Tyler, Will
liam F. Henney, Charles e. Lyman,
Augustus Fl. Billiard, Charles c. Du-
bois and Harry c. Knight.
The 1915 report in substance con-
firms the general belief that the year
was the most active-ever experienced
in the history of the telephone bust
ness.
'.The tremendous expansion winch
prevailed without cessation in prac-
tically all lines Of industry and COM
merce, was reflected by an unprece-
dented public demand for service and
Facilities, with the natural result that
substantially Increased income was
coupled with extraordinary expend1-
lures in plant and operation.
f Throughout the territory OF the
Southern New England system there
was an increase Of 12,809 telephones,
q total OF 1877, 1853 in use, or one tele-
phone for every nine of population.
Local traffic between subscribers In
the state also increased 11.l2 per cent
aggregating total of 672,922 calls
day: Toll traffic with the outside
states increased more heavily with
percentage of 1871 increase
The principal real estate operations
OF the company seemingly occurred In
bridgeport and New Haven. These
included the completion of the STRAIT
ford exchange, tile enlargement OF
the Bridgeport building and the be-
ginning of a 1O-story building in Court
street, New Haven. Various minor
pur chases of property were made in
Naugatuck, Saybrook, Torrington'
Hamden and Pennington.
In outlining the program for 1917
the report says: I'm Bridgeport an
additional central office unit. to be
called the Noble unit, will be placed
in operation in the spring, and new
toll board is already in process Of in
stal1ation. In Newtown common
battery installation in new quarters
purchased by the company in 1915 is
nearly completed and will be placed
in service ~ March,
The necessity Of central office en-
largements and additions has been and
will be coincident with necessity for |
providing additional outside equip
ment in the form Of conduit, poles,
cables, wire. ETC.. During 1916 the
wire mileage increased to 1924 |
miles,
Increased dividends did not follow |
Increased business because Of the |
necessary expenditures in adding to
the plant and equipment, but labor |
was cared for by general increase In |
salaries and the payment Of bonuses I
to 80 per cent. of the 3,276 employees
listed The total special payments
amounted to $105,128.29. Taxes in
creased 1877 per cent.
Statistics show the company has |
135,504 company stations with 1865 |
connecting stations. The book show
ed assets Of $17,913,171.13 Dec. 81,
with a surplus Of $561.394.S6 after
liabilities have been deducted.