The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-07-22
ORDER FOR PHONES FAR TOO
MANY FOR COMPANIES TO FILL

two-thirds OF all the phones in the
world are located.
The number of untitled orders for
telephones is direct reflection OF
the growth of business in general
and the telephone business in par
ticular. A large number of waiting
orders means phenomenal growth
of telephones installed and tele-
phones ordered. For the Bell COM
panies the country over there are a
total of about 100000 contracts
awaiting installation In addition to
this there are considerable number
of requests made for telephones
which have been deferred for which
no contracts have been made. There
never has been and probably will
never be a day that there are no un-
filled orders and statistics show the
number is normally 10000 for the
Bell system.
On the basis of the results of an
inquiry by the United Press, where
by it was learned that in twelve met
ropolitan districts in the country Sc
lected at random there are at pres
ent approximately $4,000 untitled or
ders for telephones by individual
would-be subscribers, it is estimated
about $4,000 other applicants for
equipment in various parts of the
country that are yet to be filled. At
present in the whole country there
are about 100000 telephones now
in use.
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
of nearly 100000 telephones. This
means that telephones have been put
in faster than ever before and that
throughout the Bell System is gain
ing 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 a general shortage of
materials and labor.
In New York City alone there are
now on file $1,000 applications for
of telephones in resi-
apartment houses, offices and
factories. And there are already
about $4,000 subscribers in the great
city
Chicago, $4,000; Cleveland, 1900
and st. Paul; 1,600 In
5000; Boston, 10000; Den
yer, 1000; Oklahoma City, 1000; st.
Louis, 1900; Connecticut, $500; At
lanta, 1850; Birmingham, 1900; Mo-
bile, 1000 and Springfield, ILL.,, 400.
Other cities reported shortages OF
cables, wires, poles and
switchboard apparatus, and a result
ant increase in the number of unfill
ed orders for telephones.
In explaining the situation that
confronts the American Telephone &
company, (the Bell Sys-
tenn which, with it's associated com
panies, owns or controls more than
100000 of the 12,000,OO0 telephones
in use throughout the United States,
an official of that company said:
Great manufacturing plants have
changed their products over night.
AT a word the making of arms, am
and materials OF war has
leen stopped and the manufacture
If plows. dynamos steel products.
textiles and the varied materials of
peace has been begun.
IF all this released business were
going smoothly it would put a tre
nendous load on the telephone. But /
t has not been going smoothly.
Quite the reverse. it has been in
great confusion and that confusion
las been aggravated by storms and /
shows and unusual bitter weather, /
by epidemics of influenza, by floods /
and tornadoes, by big exports and
small imports, and by myriad o.
.roubles that have increased the bur
len of the telephone system
untitled orders are on hand, new
central offices are needed, new switch /
boards, new relays, new distributing
boards, new conduits, new cables,
new manholes,, new pole lines, new
equipment of every kind Thous-
ands of miles of sable must be laid,
thousands of miles of wire must be