ADVISING IP PUBLIC

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 72, 18 December 1919, Page 8

ADVISING IP PUBLIC

UP-TO-DATti TELEPHONE SERVICE SEEING THE WHEELS GO ROUND Yesterday morning an .•umoinicemeufc was made in Thk Dominion thai the public on 'ringing up 'the telephone number 5000 would be supplied with the latest information tu> tu ."'the sCalo ot the noil" as far as was. known in any electorate. Although it was an .eleventh; hour announcement, the news quickly got round, .and many citizens, who did nut. care to brave the crush and- turmoil of election night in town were able..to sit quietly at home and-learn the news per telephone as soon as anyone, sooner, indeed, than those: who . watched, the. street announcements. The thought of bench tine the public in this manner was ivlial: the Americans would call "a brain wave." for the experience of last even•ins shows how eagerly the public accepted the invitation of gratuitous information "hot off the wires" Such an idea could not. naturally, have been given expression to without proper organisation and it is to the credit of officials of the Department that this was so well arranged. '■

In'a''lame room in the old half of the G.P.O. was erected a large board,' occupying the lull length of the room, on which was set out the names of ' every electorate in the Dominion in alphabetical Order. Seated before this hoard were two rows if iivo telephone operator's —ten ; n all—each with his own instru-' mcr.l .i;d the number of each was 5000. 'I'll?.-.-.- men took'their seats soon after 7 p.ni.. and wnitea patiently for calls to come. They commenced at 7.15 p.m. andibv 8 p.m. pretty well every operator was kept buey. giving. the information required by the caller as far as he was able to do so from the news' to. hand. This news, came direct from the,' telegraph operating room, near at hand, slius containing the progress of all candidates being handed out simultaneously to the Press representatives in one- ; i'Obra nn. the Feutherston Street .frontage, and lo the impiomptu telephone exchange in ■,Mn> old building. . A staff of officials.re«e r ven'. the slip, wrote tiie figures, and in iViroment'or two the figures were' posted the board, in the clear view of the I'-Sohono operators, who were all-young men. It says a good deal for-the judgment, of the officials that though the little' battery of telephones was kept going very solidly until 10 p.m., the demaud never got away from the supply— .the ten telephones just filled* the exact requirements of the public At 10 p.m. the calls began to slacken'off a little, and a auarter of an hour later some of the men wire able to drop their.receivers and have supper v whilst their comrades held' the fort. : )y 11 p.m. the staff -was redriceo' »•> halr.'-iitid tnereafter this excellent service ' "<*i.i kept' going -until every citizen. V ever interested in the election.' had n'ronVeritly gone to bed, happy in the lnought that the country was safe'. . ' ' '

Such a fine service could liot have been so well maintained were it not for tho telegraph sfaft'." "There, were.'ho 'fewer thair 120 operators at work between 7 D.111; ami 10.30 p.m.',' and all (lid sfilondid work as the prompt unnoiiiicemoiitof the results showed. The night's work,, tos a masterpiece of "organisation- Ironi hrst | to last. ••.-" '■' ' ■..,.. '■