The Portland daily press., 1900-10-17

Aap1uAOy VI hofVIC0 bner6 is Un6 advantage
of not talking with the central Office.
You can't be overheard by any other
party when you are talking and Is also
more efficient and rapid. Geneva Is about
$4,000 population.
John Erickson Of Chicago who is con-
nected with the Strowager system OF
telephones was called. This Is the best
system that there is. have been super
intending ths work of installing the sys-
tenn in New Bedford. This exchange
starts with about 500 telephones. This
system is greatly improved over the origi-
nal, am the inventor OF the system,
have been working over 1t for eight years
and am making constant improvements.
This system is not yet established in
Chicago. The man who made the first
switch was named Strowager. There
are about half dozen different styles
OF switch boards I couldn't say how
many parts there are in each instrument.
"Isn't the apparatus compIicatedP''
quiried Mr.. Hale.
81 should not say so. answered Mr..
Erickson.
Compared with the manual system the
number of parts in the Strowager sys-
tenn is less.
William b. Nash, a lawyer of Brook
line, Mass, was. instroduced. Since bsb-
ruary, 1899, he has been interested in the
automatic system. He has visited In
It's Interest Augusta, Ca, Princeton,
N. j., and Amsterdam, N. Y. At Prince
ton I Investigated and found everything
very satisfactory in the service. At
Amsterdam also Investigated. The
manual system Is grossly inferior to the
automatic. The cost of three phones
is less than one used to- cost under the
old system.
'Have the companies paid any divi-
dendsH'' asked Mr.. Hale.
mo, "treplied Mr.. Nash.
''Why are you so anxious to find about
this, asked Mr.. Coombs of Mr.. Hale,
''Do you want us to share with you
Mr.. Coombs then read an affidavit
from a citizen of Augusta, Ca, who is
the superintendent of the company in
that city. Ths superintendent highly
praised the service OF the automatic
service. Letters were also read from
other parties of the same city and from
officials of that city extolIing the merits
OF the automatic system and saying that
1t is far preferable to the Bell system.
Mr.. Coombs also read letters of the
same tenor from parties in Auburn, N.
Y, and from electrical experts in uitrer-
ent sections of the country.
A communication signed by 249 Of the
subscribers of the present New England
company in Portland, was presented
making the agreement to take phones
of the Dirigo company. The city is
now paying $1,000 for phones. The Di-
rigo Will give telephones free to the
city and Will place them in the school
houses for half rates
This closed the testimony of the Di-
rigo company and a recess of i've min
utes was taken before the remonstrants
were heard.
Assistant Superintendent Denver of
the New Nngland company w intro
duced by Mr.. Hale. Mr.. Denver said the
only Independent exchange in Massaohu-
setts were in Haverhill and Stoughton.
The New England company has in Bos-
ton 70 1-2 miles of conduit and about
1900 permanent poles. The Massachusetts,
company has about 30 miles of conduit,
In Portland there are between six and
seven miles of conduit, more according
to its size, than any city IN the United
States Mr.. Denver said he had BEEN
connected with the New England COM
pany for IS years. The New England
company has been laying conduits in
Boston for II years.
Mr.. Farnham the electrical engineer
of the New England company, testified as
to the workings of the automatic system.
He has been connected with the company
ever since it was organized and for the
past seventeen years has been a member
of board that has met periodically to |
discuss telephone matters. This board |
has reported that the automatic was not
practical system. The subscriber in
this system can not rely on secrecy. You
have got to have operators. 1t is probable
that a locomotive could be made to run
from place to place without a man In it.
But such policy would not be practical.
Mr.. Farnham read telegram from the
manager of the New England company
at Augusta, Ca, saying that during the
year fifty telephones of the automatic sys-
tenn had been taken out and that the SER
vice had greatly deprecated.
In answer to Mr.. Coombs, witness
stated that his test OF the automatic sy S.
tenn at Augusta showed that it was not a
regular, practical system. He was famiIi-
ar with all OF the improvements made in
the automatic system, He should judge
there were at the best 500 parts to the au-
tomatic system.
George A. Paddock of Auburn, N. Y,
general manager of the Empire
State Telephone company, was next
,alled. We have $50 subscribers and the
system has about 400 subscrib
9rs, The automatic started with 25O sub-