Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-09-02
TELEGRAPH HAS
RAPID GROWTH
Government Report Shows L.
888,793 Miles of Wire Used
by21 Companies.
DIG INCREASE IN MESSAGES
Last Flve.Year Period Shows 45.7 Per
Cent More TeIegrams--Par Value
Of the Capital Stock Is
sos, 360,237.

Washington, According to n report
Just Issued by Director Sam l.. Rog-
ars or the bureau Of the census, depart
ment or commerce. the u commercial
land telegraph systems In the United
States IN l9l7 operated 2i1,Ol2 miles
or pole line, comprising ! 1873, 1913 miles
Of wire sent 151 .725 ,223s messages, and
employed F,227 persons. to whom
we're paid salaries and wages amount
Ing to S3G,3o2 40
THIS report, which IL issued under
the title, photographs and Municipal
ELECTRIC Fire Alarm and Police Patrol
signaling Systems" was prepared I'M
der the supervision of Eugene +, Hart
ley, chief statistCiun for unnufactur-
ers, ana Is the fourth nf n series OF
Qninquennlal reports on the telegraph
systems of the country.
The pole'line mileage In 1917 was
less by % per cent than in 1912, but
was greater by SiX.lcuths of | per
cent than In 1907. The wire mileage.
however, showed IN increase Of III
OF 1n.I per cent over 1907.
Big Increase in Messages.
The increase In the number Of mes.
faVeS was much grcntcr--iIT per cent
during the last hvcycHr period and
b3.1 per cent during the ten years
from 1907 to 1877, The number Of en-
ployees Increased ny 392 per cent be-
tween 1912 and 1917, and hy $40 per
cent during the period 1!H1-1T and the
corresponding percentages of increase
In their salaries and wages were 59,2
end l242
The number of telegraph offices In
1917 was %, 800, II decrease Of O. per
cent ms compared with 1912 ana Of
sevententhS Of | per cent rs com
pared with 1907. The total income
from telegraph traffic was Sol .3l2,56I,
an increase Of 10 per cent over 1912
and Of ll0.S per cen, as compared with
1907; the income from all other
sources was SIGH SOB; the total eX-
penses, including charges for dcpreca-
tion and sinking funds. We're SS0,S2S,
go. m increase of 80 per cent over
1912 and of 1l1.4 per cent over 1907
and the net in "ome was So l25 400, an
increase Of "134 per cent Us com
pared with 1912 and of ll3.T per cent
over 1907.
The par value of the outstanding
capital stock of the companies was
x1O6, 360 237. decrease of II pei
cent as compared with 1912, but an In
crease of per cent over 1907.
Printing Telegraph Comes In.
The foregoing figures relate only tf
commercial telegraph companies, and
thus exclude sthe 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 Cor dispensing news.
During the five year period l2l2-191i
the printing telegraph came into cX
tended use by telegraph companies
press associations and railroads The
printing telegraph consists essentially
OF Il sending Instrument equipped witt
n Keyboard similar to that of Il type
writer. electrically connected with {
receiving instrument In such manner
that the latter automatically repro
duces what Is typeWrittcn on the send
ing Instrument. Without the PRINTING
telegraph ii would have been dltlicul
or impossible to handle the increased
telegraph business during the grea
war.