The Washington times., 1917-01-17

like 100000, 900 is needed annually to
finance the Bell systems construction
program. Because of the. unprece-
dented increase in the prosperity or
this country during the past two
years or more, the demands made
upon us for increased lines and sta
tions and for increased traffic, have
made it\difficuIt and in some cases
impossible to maintain the standard
of efficiency which we have set for
ourselves. We cannot, as do the rail-
roads when occasion demands II, put
an embargo on freight.
stPublie Expects Too Much,
"Telephonists who come to US from
abroad tell US repeatedly that we
have educated our public to expect
too much. We have not only edu-
Gated our public to expect much, but
in regard to the statement that the
telephone Is essential in modern life
will call attention to the fact that
the public did not at the outset look
upon telephone service as an essen
tiaI element in the business of our
commercial life. 1t has required the
hardest kind of work on our part to
place it'where it is today in Ameri-
can life. / say American life because
with but 6 per cent of the population
of the world, the United States is
using IS per cent of the worlds tele-
phones.
"The development of the telephone
service and the use of the service In
foreign countries is hardly compare
Bile with the deyelopment here.
Washington has d population of
$50, 900, with $4,000 telephones. or
1877 per cent The population, tele-
phones and per cent for the other
capitals are:
Toxic, 2,445.OOo 4e,7OO. is per cent.
Rome. $40. 11,70O. % per cent.
Brussels, S3s, 900, 1900 2.6 per. cent,
Petrograd 2,1S5, 900, $1,000. 81 per
cent. H. .-
Vienna, 1900. 900. $4,000. SO per cent.
Paris, 2,940OOO,. $4,000, 3,2 per cent.
Budapest. $4,000, $4,000, 80 per
cent.
London, 100000. s5s.OOd, s.6 per
cent. ..
Hague, so2, 900. $4,000. AZ per cent.
Melbourne, $4,000, $1,000, AZ per
Berne. $4,000. $500. So per cent.
Berlin, 2,S60S000. 154,S00, 6.6 per
wellington. 75.4oO. 500, 81 per
cent.
cent,
cent.
Used More In United States
"If London had washington's de-
velopment there would be in serice
there 1900, 900 telephones. The same
development in Paris would mean 450,-
900 telephones. The same development
in Wellington, New Zealand, which
couhtry has been pointed to by Mr..
Lewis as being comparable in every
way with the United States, would
mean IL 600 telephones, or more than
double the number now in service.
'In the cities of New York, Phila-
delphia, Baltimore, and Washington
there are more telephones than in all
the foreign capitals to which 1 have
referred, cities with a combined popu-
lation of more than 20.000,000.
Stockholm, no different in mater
iaI respects from other capitals of
Europe, Is conspicuous in the tele-
phone world. The well directed ef-
forts of capable telephone men owing
and directing the business brought
about a development far beyond any
thing accomplished in other countries
where the business was owned and
controlled by the State. The States
telephones are outnumbered three to
one.
Takes Up New Zealand.
"Our attention has been particu-
larly directed to New Zealand. In
the words of Mr.. Lewis, Let US take
New Zealand, for example. I take
New Zealand because New Zealand
resembles the United States as much
as one State in this country resem-
bles another, in wage level and con-
ditions, in general spirit and pur-
pose In 1914, the finance minister of
New Zealand reported that the net
debt of New Zealand, with a popula-
tion OF slightly over 100000, was
$3.50 900, 900, making a per capita debt
of $3.50. The resulting average taxa
tion per head of the population is
S2640. II the United States had pro-
portionately the same debt as New
Zealand, its net debt would be about
$45, 600, 900 900. instead OF something
like $4,000, ,0OO, ,0O0."
President Bethel said an analysis
Of the financial results Of railroads.
telephones and telegraphs operated