The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-09-20

\ visit to the telephone exchange yes
teTday afternoon elected much that was
of interest to the general public and also
helped to explain the causes of dissatis-
faction said to exist among the girls
Through the courtesy of Mr. Edwin Irish,
who, in the absence of Superintendent
Cassidy did the honors, the writer was
ushered upstairs into large airy room
where nineteen young ladies sat like
pretty maids all in row. on high-seat-
ed, high-backed chairs. Behind them We're
windows at equal distances apart, which
shed the afternoon light full upon what
looked ike panes of glass, checker-board-
ed in black squares But il turned out to
be only the daily game of the telephone
girl: for as one looked, number 49, flash
ed in bold. clear letters against the glass
and over the line came the familiar hello
centralv' 1t is evident from the clear
light and welI-ventilated high-ceilinged
room that the sanitary conditions played
no part in the general dissatis faction, so
Mr.. Irish was asked to explain the daily
routine of work, which looked intricate,
although that turned out to be but fallacy
on the part of the visitor.
1T is not at all intricate, when once
understood" said Mr.. Irish. Under the
old system things were simpler l admit,
but this new magnetic system, in use with
in the city limits. Is so much quicker than
the old that it became a necessity and is
very little more difficult. You will note
this girl at the end, indicating her,
"she has quite a different board. That is
the Bell system and is only used out OF
town. In the city we use the Express
System and it has two lines to every tele-
lphone. Just as soon as you take down the
receiver, the number is thrown out, as
Iyou saw, against the glass. We employ
ltwenty-three girls here, when our full
complement is on; we have less than
that today, as you will note. We have a
few white girls from the States, few
Portuguese and the rest are half-castes.
The latter usually come here straight
from school and are taught here. They
are not highly educated, but are very
iquick at receiving. No, the tTansmitter
does not affect the hearing disadvantage
Iously; on the contrary it actually inn
iproves the hearing. Any old telephone
operator VIII tell you that is a fact.
Neither does the steel band worry them
/ II is so light, you know. There is never
ANY trouble on that score. There is a
\ little trouble among the girls themselves
sometimes IL Is a woman's question:
You see these girls who come here from
the States are better educated a rule
and besides are good(telephone receivers
Now when we get tho mixture Of races
In here, 1t does not always work well.
/ Little jealousies arise: sometimes the
white girls feel frost and before you
know IL the girl gets mad and leaves.
And then we lose good well-trained
OPERATOR"
when Mr.. Irish was asked regarding
the social question:" he replied, es,
there comes in another difficulty. Many
of these girls from the States are young
and pretty and of course they can't get
into any kind of society here. There are
really no recreations or girlish pleasures
lopen to them and living is expensive.
Now, the lack of any home-life. or pleas
ures due to their age, affects them after
a time. They grow peevish and dissat-