Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/180

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STATEMENT OF THE AMERICAN BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY ON JAN. 1, 1891 TO 1898

This company practically conducts the telephone business of the United States.

The aggregate length of wire operated is 951,283 miles. The number of instruments in the hands of licensees under rental at the beginning of 1898 was 919,121. The number of exchange connections daily in the United States was 3,099,472, or a total per year of about 998,000,000. The average number of daily calls per subscriber is about $8 1/10$. The company received in rental of telephones in 1895, $1,475,850.64; in 1896, $1,450,032.85; in 1897, $1,597,959.36. It paid its stockholders in dividends in 1897, $3,682,948.50. The capital of the company in 1897 was $25,886,300. The gross earnings for 1895 were $4,475,445.42; for 1896, $4,538,979.07; for 1897, $5,130,844.92. Net earnings for 1897, $4,169,874.73.

The Long Distance Telephone Company represents about $20,000,000 of capital.

The postal business of the United States for six fiscal years was as follows:

Issued during 1897-1898 was as follows: