Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-07-20
ABOLITION OF THE HELLO GIRL. F."
Success OF the Automatic Telephone
Switchboard.

Success OF the Automatic Telephone
Switchboard.
an automatic telephone switchboard
that abolishes the hello girl" When
the subscriber wants to talk with No.
4SS or 90, he presses in rotation little
buttons bearing those numbers. and an
apparatus in the telephone exchange
automatically connects him with those
with whom he wishes 70 converse.
The first use of the automatic switch
board on a ,arge scale will be made
in Chicago, where the Illinois Tele-
phone and Telegraph company has ac-
Quired the right to operate the system
for 30 years 1t announces that II viii
have an exchange working In the
Windy city early next year with 10000
subscribers Albert @ Wheels, an
electrical expert, is at inc head OF the
Chicago concern.
The hello girls" Of Chicago arc in
n panic at the news. They see The
dreadful prospect Of being abolished
without the slightest hope of resusci-
tation. They would like to get hold
of Mr.. Stronger, but SO far he has
kept carefully out Of their way.
The claim is made on behalf of the
system that it has been used SO long
and SO extensively on Il small scale
that its merits have been absolutely
proved, and that 1t will not only do
away with the hello girl" in Chica-
go, but that in New York and other
cities where telephones are used she
will soon be as extinct as the web
footed dodo OF ancient history
The system has been in operation in
Augusta, Georgia. since 1897. 1t
started with $50 subsCri hers and Mt the
beginning of the present year had near
ly twice that number It's switchboard
has a capacity of 1000 subscribers
Those who patroniae 1t prefer it TO the
Bell system, ii is asserted on account
of It's greater simplicity. Instead OF
conversing with hello girls. who is
not always there, the subscriber him
self calls up the person with whom he
wishes to converse lie can reach at
any moment Of the day or night any
subscriber on the list,
Another automatic exchange where
the apparatus has had u fair trial, and,
it is said, has answered all require
ments, is at Albuquerque, N. NJ, The
institution there has nearly 800 sub
scribers, twice as many as the Bell
company. They believe that they can
call up a fellow subscriber much more
quickly than they could by the old sys-
TEN.
In Geneva, n. y, is an automatic
exchange with more than ITO subscrib-
crs. There are over 200 miles OF wire
in use in that city, and one lineman
and the manager are able to attend to
the maintenance of the exchange, coll
lections and the business in genreal.
This makes large saving, as the sal
aries of the hello girls are an impor-
tant feature Of the expense account of
every exchange.
At Oneida is another exchange OF the
Stronger type, the subscribers OF
which seem to be thoroughly satisfied
with the service This is operated by
storage battery plant. Attached to
the switchboard is an ingenious sys-
TEN for detecting trouble along the
line. The slightest disturbance Is
promptly detected and remedied, 1t IS
said, generally before the subscriber
has even had knowledge OF 1t.
The abolition of the hello girl" has
minor disadvantages at first People
find a certain amount of difficulty in
working the automatic call, but II Is
really not very complicated. or course
at the beginning a subscriber who is
ringing for No. 56S is likely to get
ratified and call up No. $50 and No.
S65 But after little practice, and
after he has called up half the people
them II they are 1T" he can generally
manage to secure the person he wants.
Another advantage asserted for the
system Is It's absolute secrecy; there
being no hello girls" to hear the con-
versations, there Is necessarily no one
to repeat them. Murder plots and all
sorts OF yillainy can be arranged be-
tween the subscribers and no one will
be any the wiser.
Other cities using the system besides
those mentioned are Albion, Auburn,
Perry and Amsterdam, in this state;
Laporte, Ind, Chester, H., Princeton,
n j., Aiken, s. g. and Albert Lea,
MINI. New York Journal.