The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-30

class OF employees In public service
who work as hard and do 50 much
for the general public.
I'VE have three things To sustain "a ln
the usidst OF our hard work fer the public
tao often unappr sciative." continued tna
operator. namely. de know cur work IL
well and faithfully performed, we know
that ninety nine times out OF hundred
not understand, and lastly. blessed relief.
ve are ned compelled 70 listen 10 the abuse
that people sonsssinles trS TO shower upon
~
II have often wondered IL the mar who
starts ia TO curse q alrl ever q feiepnone
ccueAed sa the same language, If he stood
face TO face With her. And don't you
know. II has always struck ms that Ii was
. ccwardly thing TO do. To abuse a girl
oser = telephone when you know she oaa-
not fss you or even answer you back To
me Il = a good deal like going out ard lying
in the bushes TO shoot In tho back any
enemy that you would Rot dare face
New. let's look ~ this telephone bust-
nexz from the hello FirfE point ~ view"
sssd the heiio girl and see how much
reason there Fl for man standing around
and abusing the operator at the exchange
who failed 20 give him What he wanted
81 the very second be wanted II. In the
nrnt place, the telephone system Is NOT
perfect. but 1t IL as near perfection In Sc
att.e as IL Ii anywhere on earth, We
average. with less than fifty operators.
somsthlng like 81 90 calls every twenty
four hours. The last day an accurate tab
was kept there wsrs z.7se Gala
by calls mean where one person asks
for a number and gets II. the hundreds
and hundreds Of calls which are answered
tine busy. call again or party does not
anawef.' or ''phone out OF order etc. not
counting "a calls. and II IL with these hun
tlfeda Of amounted calls mast OF the trou-
Die originates.
sour systsrn n at once simple. yet thor
ough. gfsing 10 cur patrons the best and
quickest service ahtainable from the skill
ed use OF the latest and heat appliances,
but far Nil that some people md fault.
ssfTlHE cause Of the greatest number OF
Kicks. IL | may use the everyday
siang, COMES from what Ii known as parfS
Inca Let Us say there are ten telephones
on a single lire and No. l calls uo ana
wants . nusnheF. He gets II. and half
second later Nos 2. .. I. and al want
90 talk When the operator tells them the
line ID busy, they wait minute and then
call up again. New. during that walt No.
has hung up hls 'phQpa ard No. called
almost Instantly. Naturally. Nc 2 gets
tire line. and Nos. 2 J, 4. ard are again
told. line Is busy. call again. and prob
ably get angry.
'why should ,hey7 They know there are
ten people 20 serve on the one line. and
they know. too, that calls are answered on
the old. Old proposition OF first come. first
served. 1t would he impossible 80 handle
ths iina IN any ether way. suppose. fer
instance. when No : calls up while No. 1
u uFsag the line, We should say, we will
cali yen when shs Hne Is rsse.' "a we often
do on ssfSls isnsa. But this party line.
where TEN people are served. Ne Is n
groSsr sna ,uSt "a We call him a customer
In hsiHg waited upon. Common ssnSe
would teach any one We could not keep
Nos. ]. 4. s and { waiting anti Ne. SO;
through with his customer. each having an
equal right 20 the line; consequently. we
make IA promises "a eaii on party Tines.
''E.arh subscriber has. as ! SAD. an equal
right ora the line. and the only way 20 xlve
each ans his or her iust share ~ service "
to taka them as thsy GENE. la oil we
can DO Suppose IL In great hurry hui
IL osing the line, could the operator break
Ia on Is conversation ard tell him or her
% hurry tips Hardly. yet that IL exactly
what some people expect ia 10 de- The
trouble Is they do net stop IS think
New. III Etse yea an instance % how
the 'halio SRI "a sometimes blame. Tor
saying and dasng things she never knew
u thing abaa.--fAAt Is. On a party isns. X
one Is taking on a tsn-party lire. the ether
nine Subscribers ca that Eae can take
doyvu fnsiF receivers and listen 90 all ems
Gays. II they are mean enough 70 40 lt.
Sagssee@e l has been talking and 3 ansa 3
iSgsalng one rniShes bat AuI have