The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-07-23
SHORTAGE OF PHONES
DEMAND HELLO DEVICES.
EXCEEDS SUPPLY
Quarter of Million People Are
Listed As Untitled
Orders

orator. Waiting? Waiting?"
Yes, a quarter of a million Amer
leans are waiting-not for the tele-
phone girl to give them q number.
but for the company to install the
telephone.
And there are indications they will
be waiting for some time yet-may-
be two or three years. And then
when their orders have been filled
there probably will be as many more
applicants clamoring for telephones
in the United States, where more
than tive, thirds Of all the phones In
the world are located.
The number of untitled orders for
telephones is a direct reflection Of the
growth of buSiness in general and
the, telephone business in particular
A large number of waiting orders
means phenomenal growth Of tele-
phones installed and telephones or
dered. For the Bell companies the
country over there are atotal Of
country over there are a total OF
stallation In addition to This there
are considerable number OF requests
made for telephones which haze been
deferred for which no contractA have
and probably never win be a day that
there are no untitled orders and VA
tisticss show the number 10 normaNy
10000 for the Bell System.
Many Untitled Orders.
On the basis of the results Of an
inquiry by the United Press, where
by It was learned that in twelve
metropolitan districts In the country
selected at random there are at pre-
VI al 1>A
orders for telephones by individual
would-b subscribers, it is estimated
about $4,000 other applicants for
equipment in various parts OF the
country that are yet to be filed. At
present in the whole country there
are about 100000 telephones now
in use.
I, In spite of all the difficulties Of
transportation and manufacture and
in spite of the shortage Of materials
and fabricated articles, the telephone
companies have made, for the first
five months of this year. net gain
means that telephones have been put
in faster than ever before and that
throughout. the Bell System supply
is gaining on demand.
Reasons assigned by telephone
company officials here and in other
cities in most cases were the falling
off Of production, inability Of manu-
facturers to get transportation for
supplies, and general shortage Of
materials and labor.
In New Fork City alone there are
stallations Of telephones In resi-.
dences, apartment houses, offices and
factories. And there are already
about $4,000 subscribers II the
greater city.
Untitled orders as reported from
other cities are as follows:
Chicago. $4,000; Cleveland, 1900:
Minneapolis and st. Paul; 1000;
indianapolis, 1000; Boston, $4,000:
Denver 400; Oklahoma City, 1000;
Atlanta, 1850; Birmingham, 1900;
Mobile, 1000, and Springfield, Ill,
400.
Other cities reported shortage Of
instruments, cables. wires, poles and
switchboard apparatus, and result
ant increase in the number Of unfill-
ed orders for telephones.
IN explaining the situation that
confronts the American Telephone
and Telegraph Co., (the Bell System)
which with its associated companies,
oWuS VI CoutIOiS mOTe ludu 11,UV,.
600 Of the 100000 telephones in
use throughout the United States, an
official of that company said:7
Great manufacturing plants have
changed their products over night.
At word the making of arms, am
munitions and materials of war has
been stopped, and the manufacture
of plows. dyamos, steel products, tex
tiles and the varied materials of
peace has been begun.
IF all this released business were
going smoothly it would put a tre:-
mendous load on the telephone. But
it has not been going smoothly. Quite
the reverse, 1t has been In great con.
fusion and that confusion has been
aggravated by storms and SHOWS and
unusually bitter weather, by cpl
denies Of influence, by floods and
tornadoes, by big exports and small
imports, and by myriad of troubles
that have increased the burden on
the telephone system.
Equipment Is Needed.
Unified orders are on hand, new
central offices are needed, new swith-
boards. new condutts. new cables,
new manholes, new pole lines. new
equipment of every krd. Thousands
of miles of cable must be laid. thous-
ands Of miles of wire must be spliced
and strung, uncounted millions of
joints must be soldered to make per-
feet the connection to the central Of
fees. The whole country Is teem-
ing with this construction, covering
every mechanical process from fac
toSy production to installation Of the
subscribers instruments
Lack Of productions he said. had
curtailed reserved supplies Of prac-
tically every alement OF material used
in the building and maintenance Of
telephone systems.
Among the materials most used
by the telephone companies aud
which 1t has been almost impossible
to obtain, the official said-either
due to falling of of production or to
poor transportation-are as follows:
Copper-In 1919. $4,000, 900 pounds
was used for telephone lines and
100000 pounds for making lead
covered cables and apparatus.
Steel-Approxilnately $4,000, 900
pounds used annually In sheets,
strips. bands. structural shapes and
magnet steel
Galvanized iron and steel vireA-
Approximately 10000 tons used ev.
cry year.
Lead-Annual requirements are
100,000,000 pounds.
H.