HELLO GIRL OF 60.

Mt Benger Mail, 15 September 1920, Page 4

HELLO GIRL OF 60.

VILLAGE SWITCHBOARD IN PARLOUS. LONG HOURS FOll SMALL PAY. England's oldest telephone "girl," has just put aside her receiver, and relinquished her switchboard. Mrs Elizabeth Andrews, tin telephone mistress at Ferriby, a pretty resilenti?il village about 10 miles from Hull, celebrated her 80th birthday a couple of months ago. Her hearing is still fairly good, but her eyesight causes her increasing trouble, and so she has sent in her resignation to the Hull Corporation Telephones Committee. "I have had the exchange 21 years," Mrs Andrews told an intervewer. "At first there were only six subscribers. The National Telephone Company caiuo so the cottage and asked my late hus band if we could have the exchange here.

"At first we refused, but as last he consented. The agreement was in h's name, but he would never atend to the switchboard. "He would not learn how to work the plugs, because he said, if he did, he would always have to do it."

The widow smiled as she recalled what she regarded as the smartness of her spouse in taking the appointment, and leaving her to do the work. "For about ten years," she went on, "I had to attend to all the calls, night and day. Now we have 100 subscribers.

"Until a month or five weeks ago. I had to attend to all calls after 8.30 at night. I never could go to bed till 11.30 and then I often had to come down stairs and atend to calls.

"It was very bad when the military Were here, and worst of all on Zeppelin alarm nights. There was no bed for me then.

"One week there were alarms every night, and I never got to bed till 5 o'clock in the morning. I had to remain at the switchboard.

"Sundays were also a botheration. I have been on 4ttty aa long as 16 hours

on a stretch. "It has not been a very good paying job. Before I reeeivt d the bonus I only had Us 1(M per week, and, out of that. 1 had to find coals ami oil for a paraffin lamp, as well as clean away the dirt made by people who came to the call office. "I don't know what the authorities tire going to do. I have sent my notico in, and they can do what they like." Closing the door so that the young operator in the parlour switchroom could not hear. Mrs Andrews added, "They wrote me a letter saving they were going to reduce my ir.oney to 10s a week. That maddened iu and I sent in my notice.

"1 should have kept on if it had not been for my eyes. If my sight was as good as my hearing, I should be all right." Meanwhile, tho exchange remains at th" cottage, and the Corporation con. templates paying Mrs Andrew a pensio. DON'T USE HARSH PHYSICS. Old folks sum;' ; never uso physicfc tint .irf. harsh ai; L irritating. Chamberlain's Tablets sliouid be usad by old people in preference to any other medi. eine. Chamberlain's Tablets are gentle and soothing in ♦in ir action. Thoy io not produce a disngiocable effect, aro in every way relirb'e and benolicial to tho whole system, and perfectly safe for old and young.—Sol i <seiywhere. The biggest imii"r ship in the world lias just hem launciici'd at Copenhagen for an English shipping company. The ship is called the Africa and is 445 feet long with a displacement of 14,000 tons. ONE COUGH Mii-KES ANOTHER. Each cough rasps 'and tears'the"delicate tissues of the lungs, thus making another cough all the more certain. The longer you cough the more certain it is that the inflamation will extend deep down into the bronchial tubes. Chamberlain's Cough Remedy controls these early coughs. Often a single dose at bedtime gives relief. The cough ceases because Chamberlain's Cough Remedy removes al lcongestion and inflnnima. tion. —Sold everywhere.