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Show TELEGRAPH HAS RAPID GROWTH Tbe Increase in. the number of messages mes-sages was much greater 15.7 per cent during the last five-yenr period and 53.1 per cent during the ten years from 1907 to 1917. The number of employees em-ployees Increased by 39.2 per cent between be-tween 1912 and 1917, and by 84.9 per cent during the period 1907-17 and tho corresponding percentages of lncren Government Report Shows 1,-888,793 1,-888,793 Miles of Wire Used by 21 Companies. BIG INCREASE fN MESSAGES Last Five-Year Period Shows 45.7 Per Cent More Telegrams Par Value of the Capital Stock Is $106,360,237. Washington. According to a report just issued by Director Sam L. Rogers Rog-ers of the bureau of the census, department depart-ment of commerce, the 21 commercial land telegraph systems In (he United States In 1017 operated 241,012 miles of pole line, comprising 1,888,793 miles of wire ; sent 151,725,238 messages, and employed 47,227 persons, to whom were paid salaries and wages amounting amount-ing to $36,392,140. This report, which is issued under the title, "Telegraphs and Municipal Electric Fire Alarm and Police Patrol Signaling Systems," was prepared under un-der the supervision of Eugene F. Hartley, Hart-ley, chief statistician for manufacturers, manufactur-ers, and is the fourth of a series of quinquennial reports on the telegraph systems of the country. The pole-line mileage in 1917 was less by 2.6 per cent than in 1912, but was greater by six-tenths of 1 per cent than in 1907. The wire mileage, however, showed an Increase of 4.1 per cent us compnred with 1912 and of 19.7 per cent over 1907. In their salaries and wages were 59.2 and 124.2. The number of telegraph offices in 1917 was 28,865, a decrease of 6.2 per cent as compared with 1912 and of seven-tenths of 1 per cent a compared com-pared with 1907. The total Income from telegraph traffic was $91,312,567, an Increase of 74.5 per cent over 1912 and of 140.8 per cent as compared with 1907; the Income from ail other sources was 151,041,803; the total expenses, ex-penses, including charges for depreciation deprecia-tion and sinking funds, were $80,828,-970, $80,828,-970, an increase of 52.9 per cent over 1912 and of 111.4 per cent over 1907. and the net Income was $12,125,400, ad increase of 253.4 per cent as compared com-pared with 1912 and of 113.7 per cent over 1907. The par value of the outstanding capital stock of the companies was $106,360,237, a decrease of 1.7 per cent as compared with 1912, but an Increase In-crease of 4 per cent over 1907. Printing Telegraph Comes In. The foregoing figures relate only to commercial telegraph companies, and thus exclude the wire and pole line wholly owned nnd operated by railroads, rail-roads, and also exclude the equipment and telegraph business of the various press associations which lease and operate op-erate wires for dispensing news. During the five-year period 1912-191Y the printing telegraph came Into extended ex-tended use by telegraph companies, press associations and railroads. The printing telegraph consists essentially of a sending instrument equipped with a keyboard similar to that of a typewriter, type-writer, electrically connected with a receiving Instrument in such a maimer that the latter automatically reproduces repro-duces what is typewritten on the sending send-ing instrument. Without the printing telegraph it would have been dlllicult or impossible to handle the increased telegraph business during the great war. |