The courier-index., 1919-08-15
TELEGRAPH HAS
 RAPID GROWTH
Government Report Shows l. 888,793 Niles of Wire Used
 by2i Companies
BIG INCREASE IN MESSAGES
Last FiSe-Year Period Shows 45.7 Per Cent More Teiegrzms-Par Value Of the Capital Stock is
 sfos, ,s5o. .237.

Washington. According to a report just issued by Director Sam l.. Rog- CTS of the bureau of the census, depart ment of commerce, the 21 commercial land telegraph systems in the United States in 1917 operated 241,012 miles of pole line, comprising 1.888,79S miles of wire: sent 151, ,725,23S messages. and employed 47,227 persons. to whom were paid salaries and wages amount Ing to $36 ,392 LAO.
 the title. Photographs and Municipal Electric Fire Alarm and Police Patrol Signaling Systems" was prepared ufl- der the supervision of Eugene F. Hart ley, chief statistician for manufactur- CTS, and Is the fourth of series Of quinquennial reports on the telegraph systems of the country.
 The pole-line mileage in 1917 was less by 2.6 per cent than in 1912. but was greater by six-tenths of 1 per cent than in 1907. The wire mileage. however. showed an increase or Al per cent as compared with 1912 sud of 1D.T per cent over 1907.
 Big increase in Messages.
 The increase in the number of mes sages was much greater-45.7 per cent during the last ive-year period and 5S.1 per cent during the ten years from 1907 to 1917 The number of em- ployees Increased by 39.2 per cent be- tween 1912 and 1917, and by 84.9 per cent during the period 19O7-f7 and the corresponding percentages of increase in their salaries and wages were 59.2 and 124.2
 The number of telegraph offices in 1917 was 2S.s65. decrease of 6.2 per cent as compared with 1912 and of seven-tenfhs of 1 per cent ss com pared with 1907. The total income from telegraph traffic was $91 .312 ,567, an increase of 74.5 per cent over 1912 and of 1903 per cent as compared with 1907; the income from all other sources was s1.641 SOB; the total ex- penses. including charges for deprecia- tion and sinking funds. were SS0,S2S,- 970, an increase of 529 per cent over 1912 and of 111,4 per cent over 1907, and the net income was SIP. 125. 400, an increase of 253.4 per cent as com pared with 1912 and of 1l37 per cent over 1907.
 The par value of the outstanding capital stock of the compa nles was of cent as compared with 1912. but an in crease of per cent over 1907.
 Printing Telegraph Comes Tn.
 The foregoing figures relate only to commercial telegraph companies. and thus exclude the wire and pole line wholly owned and operated by raii- roads. and also exclude the equipment and telegraph business of the various press associations which lease and op- crate wires for dispensing news.
 During the fiye-year period 19i2-TsfT the printing telegraph came into er- tended use hy telegraph companies, press associations and railroads. The printing telegraph cohsists essentially of a sending instrument equipped with a keyboard similar 10 that of type writer. electrically connected with 6 instrument in such manner that the latter automatically repro duces what is typewritten on the send ing instrument. Without the printing telegraph if would have been difficult or impossible to handle the increased telegraph business during the great war.