Evening star., 1898-02-17
new HELLO SYSTEM
Commissioners Hear Arguments in
Behalf of Automatic Exchange.
GIVES RATE OF $500 Per MONTH
Probably a Favorable Report Upon
the Bill.
S y 5 L + NJ E X 2 l. A l n E D

District Comm issioners Ross and Wight
today heard Messrs. Fl. D. Walbridge. +.
w. Tyrer and Bertrand Travers in sd
vocacy of the hill recently introduced in
Congress to authorize the Automatic Tele-
phone Exchange Company Limited to con-
struct. operate and maintain a telephone
exchange in the District.
The gentlemen are interested in the
company. and explained that the auto
matte exchange system connects each SUBJ
scr1ber's telephone with an apparatus at
central point which possesses the func-
tons of complete switchboard, COM
pr1sing any number of connections. the
apparatus, they said, bears no resemblance
IN form to switchboard. but so cOncen-
tlates in itself the terminals of the lines
cf other subscribers that the caller. NV
as simple an act as touching the figures
of the callee's designating number con-
meets the lattors line with his own. read,
ior converse tion in absolute secrecy: then
by the act of hanging I'D his telephone
dIter use. he restores all parts to normal
condition. Each subscribers line termi-
mates at the central station in similar
immature switchboard or terminal anna
iatus, occupying but little space all he
ing connected and concentrated in a glass
case, where, free from dust or disturb
hl.ce hn,. 'ney may remain for years, giving
as the contacts wear to greater e,artn.ss
of surface tot ch
Speak king of the system Mr. Tyrer sail:
Maue originally perfect, aTd up 20 a
at''LuaIu Oh excellence attainable only quite
recently. each movement being the result
VI an unVarying impulse acting always in
the exact manner intended, there is Drac-
tNahy no possibility of arrangement and
our Hachines, after constant use for nearly
TOUR years, give evei, better results th,u In
the beginning, without the slightest evil
ceEoe or wear or arrangement in any mar.
IN heu or a large force OF operators and
otLer attendants cur system reuuiras the
service of one attendant at tie central ex-
change and the usual necessary line re-
IaieIs. mere Is no plugging of the
s swisehooard' no transmission from one
poafo 10 another. The subscriber m axes
fls own connections to any nunbar-10 Ou
or 2a,ND, If 50 many are in the local yroun
IN less time than 1t takes the subecriher
o. any other system to get the exchange.
II the called line be in use, he knows it
with certainty: for the automatic exchange
never 'skylarks.' CT reads novels or in
cuises pique. but at all times attends
strictly 10 business
Mode of OPERATING
Now let Us suppose wish to call sub.
scriber No. $40. We first take our own r,-
oeiver from its hook. then place our finger
IN recess No. of the disc on the face of
our telephone EoN. AID pull the dis, down
until the finger strikes a stop ARRANGED to
oisengase tne Er&sr. Upon beins released
the disc rotates back to its ORIGINAL posi-
tcn. We then Immediately repeat the
operation with recess numbered l. and
again with No. 9, and then. connected with
the desired party, we proceed 20 ring him
up ourselves. Having done this we at Cnce
place the receiver to our and await
reply. Thus IN less time than is required to
get the telephone girl Of sfo BE- 3usy, or in
less time than 1t requires TO communi "a -
with her If she answers instantly we are
IN connection with the subscriber and talk
ing
1t WIS stated to the Commissioners thai
the system is instantaneous, direct and au-
tomatically connects with the telephone of
any desired subscriber. 1t is claimed there
IS an entire absenc" of delay, but absolute
secrecy Also. that there is a continuous
service day and night. which cannot be cut
off, AMI automatic disco injection when a
subscriber is through talking Is had by
simply hanging up the receiver.
But 81 Per Month.
The Commissioners were informed that
uEdc. the proposed system the rates for
telephones VIII be but 81 month; that il is
il operation in several cities already and
that the company viii put 5000 in Buffalo
in a week or two; that the Presidents
house here will be equipped with ten of the
rev instruments in a day or so, and that
w
with all the executive departments; that
there are a Thousand in operation in Au-
gusta, Ga, at 81 a month for each sub
scriher, and that there the Bell Company
offered to reduce their rates to 50 a month
hut could not prevent the introduction of
the new system.
Commissioner Wight having suggested
that perhaps Congress would not permit the
opening of the streets to put In the new
system the members Of the company stated
that. its Introduction would save the
people of the District using the tele-
phones of the existing company not less
than $ljOWO year, they felt sure the peo-
pie would not object to the opening of the
streets for comparatively short time. es-
pecially when the low rate for the new sys-
tenn would enable about every citizen to
use telephone. 1t was also stated that
under the new system the company could
not restrict the use of the telephones to
subscribers only.
The Commissioners took the matter under
advisement, and will probably favorably re-