NUMBER PLEASE?

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14258, 8 January 1920, Page 2

NUMBER PLEASE?

HELLO GIRLS' DISABILITIES, DON’T BLAME ATTENDENTS. “GO UP AND SEE." “Why does a woman look older sooner than a man?" is a question asked in big black letters by the hoarding advertisement for a famous brand of soap. If women actually,do grow older looking than men in a shorter period, we can suggest at least one excellent reason, in regard to a section of them, and that is that the telephone exchanges throughout the world are mostly staffed by women. “Whatever has gone wrong with the exchange this morning? They must all be asleep up there I” How often does one hear this and similar comments on receiving no response to the turning of the handle. Our answmr to such an enquiry is “go up and see.” A representative of this journal “went up to see” this morning, and what he saw was a congestion that is positively disgraceful for a town of such size and rapidly-growing importance as HamiltOß. There, in a small, narrow room, sitting? shoulder to shoulder, with double receivers clipped over their ears and large mouthpieces protruding from their chests like unsightly growths, was a line of sixteen girls, working at express rate with busy hands, like tenders of a loom in a weaving shed. Before them were 1G boards, containing 1600 numbers, covered with 1600 small-hinged plates, above 1600 plug-holes. These 1600 numbers represent subscribers and outside exchanges, and average out at 100 for each girl in attendance. Flick, flick, fllick, flick, flick.

Down fall half-a-dozen number plates on one board, indicating that six subscribers arc seeking communication with half-a-dozen others on, perhaps, the same or another section. Before the attendant has had time to answer and connect up a couple—flick, flick, flick, flick; —down fall four more.

"Number please?—49l? Right you are!”—click —in goes the plug; “283, her'’ you are I”—click—another plug im Then "flick, flick”; two more plates down and half-a-dozen subscribers whom the attendant has not possibly had time to answer, are turning furiously at the handles of their ’phones and calling down perdition on the,heads of the (‘dilatory” attendants.

"Are you there? 491 won’t answer!” "Yes, 356? right I”—click; “832?” click; “Yes, number please, 22? just a moment I”—click.

“Don’t ring like that, please; your number won’t answer.”

“Hello, 1283 Auckland —one moment. I’ll give you bureau.” Then flick, flick, flick, all over the hoard.

“Hello, yes; don’t you know the number? Well please look it up; we are too busy here!” Flick, flick, flick; still they fall. “Well? 891?” —click; “72?" —click.

“Yes. I’m sorry,. I think Dr. P- ’s out; I’ve just been ringing him for somebody else. Could I” —flick, flick, flick —“try some other doctor for you” —flick, flick —“right, here you are. One •moment cumber 10.” “Hello? 56?” click; “89?” click; “7?” click;' “68?” click; “73?” click. “What’s that—well, please don’t be rude; it’s not our fault if they don’t answer. I’ll try them again!” Flick, flick, flick; “Please don’t ring like that; a short ring drops the indicator.” And so the game goes on, hour in and hour out; not on one board alone, but on the whole line of machines, amid the rattle of falling indicators, plugs being inserted, and the voices of 16 attendants speaking simultaneously, causing one to wonder what the Tower of Babel must have been like. And yet the average subscriber growls.when, after a rude remark to an attendant, a blatant joke, or an attempt to enter into an argument, he receives a curt reply. He also wonders why his ring is not immediately answered, and grows irritable when, after a second and third ring, he still gets no response. He seldom stops to think that he is not the only subscriber on the list, or that at the very moment of his call' there may be dozens of others awaiting connections. And yet this line of girls, sitting shoulder to shoulder, wearing away their fingers and shouting their voices hoarse, in a dingy, musty compartment, show a cheerfulness that is remarkable for such an irritable, wearing and wearying occupation, which is aggravated by the obsolate machinery in use and by conditions deserving of the strongest condemnation. For five years a building has been waiting, equipped with engines, batteries and other machinery necessary for the installation of automatic ’phones, but tlie completion of the work is held up for the want of a few small items that are essential to the undertaking. The majority of these parts can, we understand, be obtained from Auckland, where the completion of the automatic system will of necessity be a considerable time yet. Pressure should certainly be brought to bear on the Government by the local Chamber of Commerce to procure, if it is at all possible, the shortages in question, and so give the satisfaction to subscribers that is warranted, and relief to the overworked staff of the exchange. Subscribers, in the meantime, would do well to observe a few little “donts” in using their ’phones. Don’t, in the first place, imagine that there Is a special attendant employed to answer your calls alone.

Don’t, when you fail to get an immediate answer to your ring, start to illuse your machine. Don’t ask the attendant, when she does answer, if she has just wakened. The question is only a waste of time, for she nevcf gets a chance to sleep.

Don’t be rude to her if she answers you rather sharply, but try to picture the interior of the exchange and realise the high pressure under which she is working. Don’t blame her if the person you want to speak !o doesn’t answer your call. It is not the attendant’s fault.

Don’t argue with the lady; for you are only wasting her time, your time, and that of many waiting subscribers.

Don’t weary her with alleged jokes; she gets too many of them and she really hasn’t time to laugh. Finally, if you think jou have any just ground for complaint against the service—well, just do as we did—go up and see.