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Show Microwave Facilities for Park Included in Mountain Bell Plans Telephone growth figures released re-leased recently by Mountain Bell reflect Utah's industrial expansion and increase in population pop-ulation during 1970. Ernie Anderson, local manager man-ager for the telephone company, com-pany, said 31,680 telephones were added in the state last year, bringing the total at year's end to 561,165. He said more than 1.1 billion local and long distance calls were made inUtahduring!970 an average of more than three million each day. Utahns continue con-tinue to be the world's 'talk-ingest 'talk-ingest people," averaging 1,072 calls-per- person each year. The national calling rate is 745 calls. To meet growth and moder-ize moder-ize facilities, the company spent $35 million on construction in the state last year. Major projects pro-jects included: building and equipment additions in Ogden, Bountiful and Riverton and a new Customer Services Building in Salt Lake City. Utah's first electronic switching office, near the University of Utah campus, will go into service this spring. Anderson said construction con-struction projects from St. George to the Idaho line were geared during 1970 to meeting the needs of customers through continued improvement of service serv-ice and by the installation of additional facilities. He said more than 3,700 Mountain Bell employes in the state were paid $28.1 million in wages during the year, a jump of $2.6 million over 1969. Federal, state and local taxes collected and paid by the company com-pany in Utah totaled $16,277,08 5. Projects scheduled for 1971 include: additions to the Cedar City and Tooele offices; new microwave facilities between Salt Lake and Park City and the completion of American Telephone Tele-phone and Telegraph Company's underground junction station in Brigham City. The Brigham station, a 17,000 square-foot facility, is a primary junction point on the Bell's System's second transcontinental cable. Anderson said Mountain Bell plans to spend about $35 million on construction in 1971. |