Evening star., 1942-02-10
Capital Phone Gains
Much Sharper in
Last Year
194l Increase Larger
Thon Those Of 1889
And 1910 Combined
By EDWARD C. STONE.

Net gain in telephones for the
District of Columbia in 1941 was 49,.
500, or more than the combined
gains in 1910 and 1899. President
Lloyd B. Wilson of the Chesapeake
& Potomac Telephone Co. reported
at yesterdays annual meeting. Local
and Out-ot-town calls increased II
per cent and out-of-town calls alone
were up 36 per cent. After Decem-
ber calls scared rs per cent above
the like period in 1910, Mr.. Wilson
said, due to the outbreak of the
war.
The company spent SIT ,282 900 for
new plant construction during the
year, an increase of $7,152,173, max
ing the book cost of the plant $63,-
345, 1858, or about $197 per telephone.
More than 200 switchboard positions
were installed and 10000 new lines,
the larger jobs being new dial sys-
TENS in the Office of Produc-
ton Management, Federal Security
Agency, Municipal Center, Navy and
State Departments, Bureau of In
vestigation, Navy Yard and Vet
Grams Administration.
Eight new dial systems were
opened to relieve congestion, at a
cost of $4,700,O00. The number of
employees at the end of the year
was 5,435, an increase of 1927, the
report said. Operating revenues in
creased 1873 per cent and operating
expenses, including taxes, 222 per
cent. Taxes required 81 SOC, ,622. Net
operating income, already an
nounced, was $2,555, ,224.
All directors were reelected as
follows: w. w. Everett, Robert v.
Fleming, Edwin c. Graham, Gilbert
Grosvenor, H. L. Rust, jr.; John
Saul, Merle Thorpe of Washington,
D. c.. and Fred LAWS of New York
City and Lloyd B. Wilson, president;
John A. Remon, vice president, and
Philip o. Coffin, vice president, sec
retary and treasurer of the company.
Utility Earnings Reduced.
Three of the four big Washington
utility companies registered lower
earnings in 1941 than in 1910, ac-
cording to the final reports for the
year filed with the Public Utilities
Commission. Decreases in net re-
turns were slight, however, and were
mainly due to higher taxes and
other expenses. Operating revenues
were all substantially higher than
In the previous II months. EX-
pansion called for extra heavy out
lays.
In its best year on record, the
Capital Transit Co. reported a net
1941 income of 81 ,303, ,477.09, a jump
of S438, ,692.45 or 50.7 per cent. This
gain was greatly helped by an in
crease of 42,351,115 streetcar and
bus passengers. The number carried
was 228, ,663,9 1886, an increase of 22.7
per cent. Taxes were up 46 per cent.
Potomac Electric Powers net in
come of s3,938, 1902 was down only
SIS, ,299 "a from the previous year, or
SO per cent. While operating
revenues were up 1895 per cent,
taxes were 1888 per cent higher.
Chesapeake g. Potomac Tele-
phones net income was only $685., 1923
under the previous year. Net in
1941 amounted to $1,509, ,168, against
e1,862 ,997 in 1910.
Washington Gas Lights net in
come totaled $1,127,664, off $134,301
from 1910. Here again operating
revenues climbed rapidly but oper-
ating expenses, featured by tax in
creases. climbed still faster.
McCombs Writes $4,000
J. E. (BilD McCombs, general
agent Of the Berkshire Life Insur-
ance Co., was the leading producer
for the entire company during the
wear 194l. 1t was ,,.,,,r,,,, ,,,,v,,a