The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-26

against the party line system. While
er. the annoyance is many. times great
er. All privacy is destroyed. There
may be from one to four other people
talking at the same time. and what is
said by one becomes common property
to all the rest. Telephone subscribers
!! are opposed to acquiring regulations
as chronic kickers. Consequently they
decline to permit themselves to be
quoted, else q column Of names could
be appended here of those who are en-
phatic in denunciation Of certain evils
connected with the Northwestern Tele-
phone exchange.
1t is not expected that the new COM
pany will or can do away with all an
noyances incident to telephone service
But the party line will be abolished.
The "coin-in- the-slot" telephones are
also objects of objurgation by the av-
erage citizen, more especially if he be
an out-of-town resident and not a ha-
bitual customer of them. They have
taken the place of the old time uni
Versal telephone once common to all
hotels. Slots are marked for deposits
from a nickel up to ST. Rules are post
ed requesting the customer not to de-
post his coin until told to do so by
central But at times the hurried
customer neglects to comply with this,
and drops in his money "too previous
ly." Then it is gone for good, and he
must, perforce, pay again. 1t is useless
for the hotel proprietor to tell central
that the guest Of the house has really
deposited his money; that they can
check up the telephone; that he, in
fact, will be responsible for it. It won't
go at all, and there is no redress but a
second payment.
People who have for many years con-
stantly employed telephones in their
business and at their residences with
out any great difficulty being expert
enced, now complain of the Northwest
ern system that they sometimes find
1t impossible to communicate satisfac-
torlly with customers and friends. Not
Being practical electricians, they can
not fully comprehend explanations Of
Tered by the managers. They only say:
L ne service is not so good as 1t used
to be- and let it go at that. The eff
Iect of contiguous street car lines, troll
ley wires, telegraph lines and other
electrical apparatus is given by man
ayers as the cause of such annoyances
Possibly this is true. Possibly the new
company. in this one respect, may not
succeed better than the Northwestern.
1t is hoped that it will. But, at all
events, it will certainly cost the pat
ron considerably less money, even
though he wastes exactly as much
time
You have got my money, but 7 have
not got the person I wanted to talk
to-"
This is common complaint among
the patrons of coin-in-the-slot"
phones
We'll" answers central ct had him
once, but he has slipped away again."
The above incident is a bit Of con-
no oof,,
Friday. one party being in ST. Paul.
the other IN Minneapolis. Now, the
rules of the Northwestern company ex-
pllc1tly state that no money Is to be
deposited until one is told to do so by
central In this transaction all rules
We're complied with and on proper
showing the amount would undoubted-
ly be refunded. But what an annoy
ance!
A case in point On Friday last a
gentleman dropped into the St. Paul
exchange. He had complied with the
rules, deposited his money, but said he
had not communicated with the party
ne desired to reach, In this case he
thought the money should be refunded
Did you call for the name or for
the mans number?'i was the inquiry
L called for the number
In that case we cannot refund the
money. Had you called for the party
by name the money swould be return
ed
"Well," pleasantly replied the gen.
tleman, Il will remember that
One more annoyance. q
WHAT IS PROMISED.
The Mississippi Valley Telephone
company, through it's representatives
now in ST. Paul, say thatothere will be
no 'coin-in-the-slot" machines con-
nected with the system. One of them
said:
There will be no party line tele-
phones. Each mans instrument will
be his own to use at all times, contin-
ually if he desires to, for no more or
less than the regular monthly rental,
which will be about one-half that now
charged by the Northwestern company.
II he has telephone in his house and
ms nelghbor wishes to use it, there will