The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1953-03-26
1852 Peak Postwar
Year For Telephone
Company In South

Telephone Use Makes
New Records But
Eornines inadequate
Southern progress in COM
merce, agriculture and industry
in 1852 was accompanied by
telephone activity that broke
several records according to the
Annual Report Of the Southern
Bell Telephone Company releas-
ed here today.
Southern Bell serves the local
and 1919 other exchanges in
nine states.
Its annual review of 1852 opera
tons was released here by E. B.
Coca, group manager of Kosciu-
sko for Vests, Durant and other
Holmes Communities.
The Report points out that
widespread telephone progress
was made in 1852 in spite of the
continued heavy impact of in
flation on telephone costs and
earnings.
Major records written into the
books in 1852 where in connec-
ton with the provision of new
facilities and overall usage of
telephone service by the public.
With the South on the move to
new heights of economic progress
in the year. The telephone COM
pany experienced its greatest
telephone movement" for a
/ single l2month period. Tele-
phone movement in 1852 totaled
l,954,720 telephones. Out of this
activity, there was a net gain of
26l, 900 telephones. At the years
end, 1898, 900 telephones were in
service, 100000 in rural areas.
Usage of telephone service set
new records. With Southerners
again originating more calls from
their telephones than subscribers
in any other section Of the U. S.
Or over 7 per day-local calls
made over Southern Bell tele-
phones in the South averaged a.
$4,000 daily and long distance
calls completed in 1852 totaled
IT'S, 100000.
IN NEW FACILITIES
To care for additional volumes
of service and to improve and ex-
pand the service, the Telephone
Company built l78,545 900 worth
of new facilities, largest amount
ever spent in single year of its
far-reaching postwar construction
program that has involved every
one of its exchanges in the South.
Progress was made in meeting
civilian demand while caring for
heavy defense requirements in
1852, and overall telephone pro-
gress was achieved during a
year when the company paid its
highest bills for wages, taxes,
supplies and other items, the re-
view points out
The upward trend in telephone
tax bills continued. Federal,
state and local taxes for the year
were $67 ,734,000, or 22@ above
1851. In addition, excise taxes
collected by the company and
paid to federal, state and local
governments totaled SGT, 900
Altogether, 1852 taxes on the
Company and on its customers
for telephone service totaled
$l34,982,000 or S2.8l per month
per telephone.
Payroll costs for the year
totaled $l93,064, 4l9 in the South
as whole, about 1897 more
than for 1851.
The report points out that
! heavy impact of taxes, wages,
supplies and other costs caused
earnings to be inadequate for the
year. Earnings were at the rate of
SIS cents per dollar of invest
ment, slightly above 1851 but
below the Company's needs to
discharge its obligations to meet
the full telephone service needs
in the still-growing South.
This is because insufficient
earnings limit the Company's
ability to attract more growth
money. Payments for telephone
service do not finance new
telephone construction, and
money for such purposes must
come from people who will in
vest in the telephone business.
The Report points out
them new opportunities for SER
Were made in 1852, demand still
continues very heavy in the
South and large amounts of
money. manpower and materials
will continue to be required to
meet the needs.
The company pledged its con-