THE NEW TELEPHONE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13919, 2 June 1909, Page 3

THE NEW TELEPHONE.

IN USE TO-MORROW. The new telephone system in Timaru is to be brought into, use from 8 o'clock to-morrow morning. We are requested to publish a couple of warnings to subscribers. The first is: Do not ring up anyone just to_try the new phone, because if this is done the staff cannot attend to the calls. At Christchurch a new system was brought into use one afternoon, and about 1300 out of 1400 subscribers wanted to try it at once, and of course blocked business entirely. Do not ring up except for legitimate purposes. 1 The second warning is that in spite of every care in making the wire connections, there may have been some errors made. These should. be reported as detected to "520," and they will be rectified as speedily as possible. There are some novelties in the use of the new system. There is no " ring-up " or " ring-off." To take the receiver off its hook is a " call " to the exchange clerk. (Another warning is due here, to avoid removing the receiver merely to show it to anyone.) The caller lifts his receiver and waits for the clerk to ask for the required number, and, the receiver is held until the called replies. The called is rungup automatically, and a. caution is fiven here, that the receiver is not to be lifted till the. bell stops ringing.