THE TELEPHONE GIRLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18963, 10 March 1925, Page 8

THE TELEPHONE GIRLS.

STATUS UNDER NEW SYSTEM. OFFICIAL STATEMENT AWAITED. The future of the lady telephone operators employed at the city exchange has not yet been made clear by the Post and Telegraph authorities. The switch-over to the automatic system will take effect at midnight on Saturday and it has been understood that the services of a number of the lady attendants will not be required under the automatic era. About 150 girls and women are at, present employed at the central exchange in Shortland Street. A substantial proportion are under temporary employment, and while no statement has been mado officially on the subject, the feeling is general that the services of most of them will not be required when the automatic system is in working order. No member of the staff, however, has so far been served with notice of termination of her employment. The position as regards those attendants who have been engaged permanently is different, and there is a probability that employment will be offered them in other branches of the service.

In a notice published on page 8, the department draws attention to the instructions to subscribers published in the now directory. A point in which the procedure differs from that at present adopted is that dialling should not be commenced until a humming sound is heard in the receiver. This sound should be heard immediately the receiver is removed from its hook, and it indicates that the, exchange apparatus is in a position to receive the dialling impulses.