Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-01
BELL PLANS Phone
EXTENSION TO CUBA
Gables to Be Laid to Islands to
Establish Direct communi-
cation From U. S.
MARVELLOUS WAR RECORD

r-,..ho,o communication with Cuba
ly,,nJ Inv tho Bell System, accord :
B !Bs 60 announcement made in the an
ing renort of the American Telephone
nun rr,oiogroph Co., made public today
~ NV n B. Thayer. president.
by by.nn ~. Dco-oncration with the Cuban
~ ;oon Tciephonc and Telegraph Co.,
htnelih % lave beep made to lay telephone
pIainS pis, 10 Havana the report states,
raDh stno that the principal places In Cuba
E ~, hn In telephone connection with the
Wr WIinc;n,i places in the United States.
Pho report shows the Bell System
..,rod through the period Of war condi :
tions with its plant, management and
Snauccs intact, and is> In condition
~ undertake its post responsible :
t.es with a minimum of delay.
The report states:
IA Tho end OF tho year the number
os telephone stations which constitute
,ho Bcli system in the United States was
II 795,747, Of which 7,730. 100 were
owned by associated companies OF the
Rel system. The increase in the total
number OF stations in the Bell system
during 191 9amounted to 729 ,74S..
"TIcrc were 900, $50 employees in the
associated Bell companies at the end
Of tho year, who are operating "a ,l62, =
400 miles Of wire. OF which g4.6 per
cent was copper. The net addltions TO
the Dell owned plant during the year
was moro than I3,OOO,oOo. ., :,
'For the whole Bell system. with all
drnIicatiors excluded. the total income,
Jnnimd;ng compensation, after the de-
J"ct;on of expenses, amounted to SO, =
Gjo iS6 from which more than S27, =
Oo0 0oO was paid in interest and $780,
OoO oOO in dividends, leaving more than
$40 1000. 600 surplus. The surplus earn
ince in thc last five months of the
yror since the end of federal control
have been $1,000, 900.
"Tbo cnpital stock, bonds and notes
pavable Of the Bell telephone system
outstanding in the hands OF the public
M the close Of the year were 81 .O60,
OOo OOO while the net assets devoted
IN earning return on these outstanding
securities amounted to more than ST.
.ldS 500 600. This is due to the fact
that surplns and reserves Of over S3SS.
700 600 had been invested in productive
property.
TELEGRAPH Co. the net earnings of the
year were more than $50 900 900. In
round figures the interest charges were
$4,000 900. the dividends $50 900, 900
and the resulting balance $4,000 900, of
which S5,000,0O0 was appropriated to
reserve for contingencies and $4,000, 900
added to surplus. The company and
It's predecessors have paid dividends to
the public at the rate of at least $3.50
per share each year for the last thirty
eight years, and during the last thir-
teen years the rate has been uniformly
IS per share. The number of share
holders in the American Telephone and
Telegraph Co. was on December 81
J20. .460, an increase Of 5000 during the
year. cT this number should be added
some 5000 employees of the Bell system
who are paying for stock out of their
wages More than 10000 employees have
already paid in full for their stock and
are stockholders Of record. There are
more women stockholders than men,"