The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-10-17
TELEGRAPH HAS
RAPID GROWTH
Government Report Shows l.
888, 1893 Miles of Wire Used
by21 Companies.
Big INCREASE IN MESSAGES
Last FIve-Year Period Shows 45.7 Per
Cent More TeIeorams-Par Value
Of the Capital Stock Is
$1o6, ,360, ,237.

MISUNDERSTANDING to a report
just issued by Director Sam L. Rog-
ers of the bureau Of the census DEPART
ment of commerce, the 21 commercial
land telegraph systems in the United
States in 1917 operated 241,O12 miles
Of pole line, comprising 1855, 1893 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, ,14O.
This report, which is issued under
the title, "Telegraphs and Municipal
Electric Fire Alarm and Police Patrol
Signaling Systems" was prepared un-
der the supervision of Eugene F. Hart
ley. chief statistician for manufacture
ers. and is the fourth of a 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 l per
cent than in 1907. The wire mileage
however, showed an increase of Al
per cent as compared with 1912 and
OF 1877 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 five-year period and
53.1 per cent during the ten years
from 1907 to 1917. The number Of en-
ployees increased by 39.2 per cent be-
tween 1912 and 1917 and by S4.9 per
cent during the period 1907-17 and the
corresponding percentages Of Increase
In their salaries and wages were 59.2
and 1242.
The number of telegraph offices in
1917 was 2S,S65, a decrease of So per
cent as compared with 1912 and of
seven-tenths of 1 per cent as COM
pared with 1907. The total income
from telegraph traffic was $91 81, ,567,
an increase of 74.5 per cent over 1912
and Of 140.S per cent as compared with
1907; the income from all other
sources was S1,641 SOB; the total ex-
penses, including charges for deprecia-
ton and sinking funds, were $50 $685.
$40. an increase of $40 per cent over
1912 and of lila per cent over 1907,
and the net income was $12. .125,400, an
increase of 1884 per cent as COM
pared with 1912 and of 1877 per cent
over 1907.
The par value of the outstanding
capital stock of the companies was
$1O6,360, ,237. decrease of II per
cent as compared with 1912. but an in
crease of 4 per cent over 1907.
Printing Telegraph Comes In.
The foregoing figures relate only to
commercial telegraph companies, and
thus exclude the wire and pole line
wholly owned and operated by rail-
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 five-year period 1912-1917
the printing telegraph came into ex-
tended use by telegraph companies,
press associations and railroads. The
printing telegraph consists essentially
of sending instrument equipped with
n keyboard similar to that of a type
writer, electrically connected with
receiving instrument in such manner
that the latter automatically repro
duces what is typewriter on the send
ing instrument. Without the printing
telegraph it would have been difficult
or impossible to handle the increased
telegraph business during the great
war.