Annual Report of President 
Fish of Bell Telephone. 
President Frederick P. Fish in 
the annual report of the American 
Telephone and Telegraph company 
just issued shows that there were 
2,528,715 Bell telephone stations in 
operation at the close of 1905, an 
increase of over half a million, or 
about 25 per cent. since the close of 
the previous year. The total] mile- 
age of wire in use for exchange and 
toll service was 6,043,518 miiles, of 
which over a million and a quarter 
miles were added during the year. 
During the year the Bell companies 
spent for new construction in ex- 
changes and toll lines $46,603,516, 
and for land and_ buildings 
$4,177,390, a total of over fifty mil- 
lion dollars as against $31,619,100 
in 1904. During the year the Bell 
companies handled a_ total daily 
average of 13,911,000 connections, 
or at the rate of about 4,479,500,000 
a year, being 54 telephone calls for 
each man, woman and child in the 
United States. 
The report states that this is the 
thirtieth year since the invention of 
the telephone. The average invest- 
ment per station has been reduced 
by means of sound engineering and 
construction methods and the intro- 
duction of new classes of service of 
less than average cost. There has 
also been a reduction in the average 
cost of operation per station, and 
because of these reductions the Bell 
companies have been enabled to 
make a marked reduction in their 
average rates. All the new money 
which comes into the business is 
invested dollar for dollar in the 
plant. At the present time there is 
in use in the system not less than 
320,000,000 pounds of copper wire, 
8,000,000 poles and 95,000,000 feet 
of underground conduit. About 80 
per cent. of the exchange wire is in 
cables and 54 per cent. of the ex- 
change wire is underground. The 
number of officers and employes 
has increased to 87,212. 
Mr. Fish says that it is the duty 
of the company to employ the best 
business methods, to adhere to 
their conservative capitalization, to 
continue to establish and maintain 
the highest practicable methods of 
efficiency and to give every portion 
of the public as far as possible the 
class of service it requires at the 
lowest rates consistent with a 
proper return on the investment. It 
is in the public interest that this 
return shall be such as will at- 
tract the capital which must be 
furnished from time to time for 
many years to come in order to 
build up what the inhabitants of 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
15 
this country need, namely, a na- 
tional telephone system in which 
within the limits that are physical- 
ly possible every subscriber can be 
connected with every other sub- 
scriber throughout the land. 
“Heart of Maryland.” 
olne-tieatt of. Maryland,” that 
wonderful old war romance which 
has stirred two continents with its 
great and thrilling situations, and 
which was the first pronounced 
success David Belasco achieved on 
the American stage, is playing to 
record business at the Tremont 
theatre, Miss Tyler, who plays the 
role formerly made famous by Mrs. 
Leslie Carter, is pronounced one of 
the best emotional actresses on the 
stage today, and certainly her work 
in the character of Maryland Cal. 
Daniel Linehan & Son 
Contractors and Builders 
We are the Contractors for the Entire 
Stonework and piace at H. Cs Frick’s 
new residence 
DANIEL LINEHAN 
JOHN H. LINEHAN 
PRIDE’S CROSSING, MASS. 
vert merits this praise. Every 
member of the cast is strong in his. 
or her particular role, they having 
been personally selected for their 
fitness therefor by Mr. Belasco, 
and personally rehearsed by him. 
The play is Belascoan to the core, 
and that in itself is sufficient en- 
dorsement for any performance. 
The engagement at the Tremont, 
which continues another week, bids 
fair to equal in point of interest and 
in prosperity as well, any that Man- 
ager Schoeffel has offered at his 
popular theatre this season. 
HELP WANTED 
We have a number of nice domestic posi- 
tions for the right parties. We furnish the 
entire community with all classes of help. If 
you need help or want work, call or address, 
Beverly and North Shore Employment Bureau 
Mason Block, 244 Cabot St., Beverly, 
Speeial attention given to House 
and Land Drainage. Estimates 
given and Contracts performed for 
Roads, Bridges, Sewers, Water 
Works, Wells, Earthwork, Blast- 
ing, Grading, Stone Masonry and 
Landscape Work, Steam cee 
Tree moving a specialty, 
=f aye SE SS Gc 
Remover of House]Waste and Ashes. 
Jobbing and Expressing 
H. A. BURCHSTEAD, Manager 
Board for Horses. 
Horse Clipping. Order Box with Loomis, the Jeweler. 
P.O. Address, BOX 409, MANCHESTER, MASS. 
D. B. HODGKINS’ SONS, 
Flour, Grain, Hay and Straw, 
TAPPAN STREET, 
MANCHESTER -BY 
-THE SEA. 
Telephone 123-4. 
Also, RAILROAD AVENUE, CORNER PEARL STREET, GLOUCESTER. 
M. j- 
TELEPHONE 222-3. 
MARSHALL, 
ALL KINDS OF FURNITURE UPHOLSTERED. 
House Cleaning, Opening and Closing in Fall. 
First-Class* Work Guaranteed. Turkish Work a Specialty. 
Accyrair'o 047 Humphrey St, Swampscott, Mass, 
Shop, High St., Beverly Farms, 
Mattresses Made to Order. 
CTI NIGo1™ |= yo> Ei GS. 
CONTRACTORS AND BUILDERS, 
BEVERLY FARMS, MASS. 
S. J. CONNOLLY. 
G. P. CONNOLLY. Estimates 
T. D. CONNOLLY. all kinds of Stone Work. 
Steam*?Road Rollers to let. 
iven on Blastin 
Branch Office at Manchester-by-the-Sea,. 
, Excavating, Grade Landscape, Steam Drilling and 
y 
All work personally attended to. 
Builders of Lawn Tennis Courts. 
SPECIAL ATTENTION GIVEN to HOUSE anp LAND DRAINAGE, 
