The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1946-10-24
Over 1900 Calls
Daily In Lexington
NeorIy 5000 Long
Distance Coils
Made Per Month

tCt NtOtttH
The demand for telephones In the
South, as related to the per cent
now in service, is about twice that
OF any other region Of the country,
President Hal S. Dumas, of South
ern Bell Telephone Company, an
nounced today.
In a statement reviewing South
ern Bell operations during the first
IL months of peace, MFR. Dumas re-
/ vealed that new Company records
have been set during 1916 both in
volume of local and long distance
calls handled and in telephones
added.
Long distance calls made over
Southern Bell telephones during a
recent month totaled $780, 900 or
about liz greater than in l945, and
1897 greater than in 1910
Local calls made in Southern Bell
territory are averaging about l6,-
$4,000 daily, 39% greater than the
daily volume in 1910.
In Lexington, the volume Of local
and long distance calls has increased
substantially. Long distance calls
originating here during July total
ed 1881, or 81 20 over July, and
115.7 over July, 1910.
In Lexington, local calls average
about 1923 daily at present, a 51.3
% increase over the daily total in
the comparable period of 1945, and
134.9% above the total for this per-
iod in 1910.
At present, Lexington has go
telephones, an increase of 1927
owe the number in service 10 years
ago. Since Pearl Harbor, approxim-
ately 254 telephones have been add
ed to those in service here, despite
continuing material shortages.
About 81 persons are waiting for
service in Lexington.
Since August 81, 1945, Southern
Bell has added nearly 260, 600 tele-
phones, and in July of this year
broke all Company records by in
creasing the telephones in service
by more than $4,000. The average
monthly gain in Southern Bell tele-
phone, according to Mr.. Dumas, now
is more than four times the average
for 1945 and for the prewar period
of 1936-1939.
To-day there are more than 2,060,-
600 Southern Bell telephones, APP
proximately 100000 more than we
had on September /, 1940," Mr.. Du-
mas said. We expect to gain more
than $4,000 telephones this year,
IN all-time record.
'More than A 5000 Southern Bell
lei and women, 1880 more than
at the end of the war, and nearly
twice as many as there were in 1910,
are working to achieve our main OBJ
jectives: to provide telephones for
those waiting. on the farm and in
the city; and to expand our long
distance facilities.
"More equipment more people,
more of everything is being added
as fast as possible to furnish more
and better telephone service. APP
proximately $400, DOC, 600 in expend-
itures for additional telephone facili-
ties will be required during the next
S or 6 years in the nine states serv-
ed by Southern Bell. The Company
will spend about $34,o00,00 to en-
large its facilities this year and the
rate of expenditure will accelerate
as materials become available in
increasing quantities. This represents
by far the biggest expansion pro-
gram in the Company's history.
"Financing this program will re-
quire that large sums of new money
be brought into the business. This
is complicated by the fact that ire
mendous increases in demand for
service have been accompanied by
great increases in the costs of all
the elements that 60 into the pro-
vision of telephone service, with the
result that the Company's earnings
are the lowest in over 20 years.
New money for telephone ex-
| pansion must come as it has in the
past, from the savings of many thou
saids Of thrifty people. Unless tele-
phone earnings are sufficient TO give
! then, confidence in the safety Of
their investment ard q feeling of
assurance Of a reasonable return on
that investment, new funds for fur
Their expansion will not be forth
| coming"