The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-03-11
TELEPHONE REPORT
MEETING WARTIME
DEMANDS In 1918.
1918 Was a Strenuous and
Difficult Year From all
StandpOints
A "SPLENDID SPIRIT"
The Secretary Of War, Appreciated
the Splendid Spirit" of
Cooperation
"SPLENDID SPIRIT

The fundamental soundness of the
Bell System, the competent way it
has met the requirements of the war,
its fair and open way of dealing with
the problems of governmental con-
troll, and its clear understanding of
the responsibilities of the future, are
set forth by Theodore N. Vail in the
report of the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company.
The year 1913 has been from every
standpoint the most strenuous and
difficult year in the whole history of
the telephone, says Mr.. Vail. 1t has
been impossible to maintain standards
and difficult to meet the increasing
demands for the activities concen-
tl'ated. About $4,000 employees of
the telephone system entered mill
tary service. Over 20 per cent of the
expert staff were taken over by the
Government for special or active war
service.
The report makes remarkable
showing of the Engineers of the Bell
System, which includes the Western
Electric Company, Inc. Many went
into the Army and Navy and those
remaining were charged with tremen-
uous tasks, both civil and military
Much of their work, performed under
the oath of secrecy during the war,
has but recently been made known.
The complete military telephone
system was constructed in France.
The Bell System largely provided the
technically skilled men to execute
this work and it's engineers assisted
and cooperated with the Signal Corps
in designing the system. Hundreds
of girls were specially trained by the
Bell companies to operate this system
and reports show that they played an
important part in achievements of the
American army.
Wireless telephone sets for COM
nunication between airplanes and be-
tween the ground and airplanes, as
well as for use on navy hydroplanes
erd submarine chasers, were perfect
ed by Bell engineers. An unbreakable
secret cipher was developed for the
telegraph printer aud adapted to
other means of transmission. They
worked out apparatus for he detec-
tion and location cf invisible air
planes and for locating accurately tho
position of enemy artillery.
Faced with a shortage of men, of
operators and of material, the engin-
eers devised new methods and new
apparatus to overcome these
deficiencies. The Bell Sys ,em, through
It's rights under patents, is free 20
operate all forms of the best appar::-
tuS. and is not excluded from develop
n;ent of the art in eEy field.
Special mention is made of the
multiplex telephone and telegraph
system by means of which five tele-
phone conversations or for1y tcie-
graph messages may be carried over
a single pair of wires. The economy
of this system for long lines is ohvi-
Gus, and while its application is nee
essarily gradual, it is already IN use
and it's use will be extended immedi-
ately.
"There is an absolute and iElmut-
able relation between the total cost
of production of any commodity OIL
service and the total costs of the fac
tors or elements which contribute to
production. This sounds so common
place that it seems useless to state
it. 1t would also seem unnecessary
to state that the price at which any
service can be continuously sold is
governed by the cost at which it car
be continuously produced, and yet the
public have, without any consistency
with their individual practice in theil
other activities persisently disregard
ed these truisms and resisted the ap-
plication of. them to charges for the
service of public utilities of neces
sity."
Mr.. Vail presents diagram which
shows the rise in commodity costs ant
wages, while telephone rates have re
mained almost stationary, and rela
lively to prices of commodities IL
general they have decreased 80 PEE
cent. About II per cent increase il
rates is needed, which appears almosr
negligible when compared with ad
vances in the cost of other commo
dities.
Mr.. Vail says that it would be ex
(Continued on nara ~