The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-11-17

1t needs something more than a new
manager to bring any sort of relief to
the miserable telephone service now pre-
tended to he rendered in Honolulu. The
Republican does not doubt that Mr.. Coch-
ran has striven TO his utmost to try TO
make the service more effective. but it is
not simply in the exchange or with the
.witchboards that the trouble lies. Like
the Electric Light Company. the Tele-
phone Company strung its wires in the
most reckless manner and with no ap-
parent effort to prevent induction from
live wires. People living out Punahou
and Makiki way and up Nuuanu valley
have made numerous complaints of the
awful roaring in their instruments es-
pecially at night. and the inability to hear
and to be heard over the telephone. This
trouble does not exist TO any great ex-
tent in the day time. Ii is so bad at
night Tor the reason that the telephone
wires are strung so close to live electric
light wires that the telephone wires be.
come unduly charged by induction. max
ing it practically impossible to use the
telephone.
During the heavy rains of the past
month this trouble has been magnifed
many fold by the weather conditions No
attempt. apparently. has been made by
the company TO remedy the evil. Com
plants have been met with the reply that
I'VE are doing our utmost to improve the
service" This plea has been set forth for
months and months until the patience of
the people has become exhausted
Last night gentleman living on an
uptown street tried 10 call up friend
down town from his residence. He tried
for over ten minutes to get Central. utter
ly failing in his efforts. When he first
tried to call Central, to give the nurlber
he wanted, he heard woman's voice try
ing also TO get Central. The woman kent
repeating. Central. White -2T21.n
All the time this man was trying to get
Central he could hear the woman also
repeating the numbers she wanted coz.
nected. But neither she nor the man re-
lating the incident were able to get Cen
tral even. let alone getting the number
they wanted to talk with. Instesa of
having linemen out over the lines ycster-
day after the heavy rains of the tv-o pr,.-
cedins days. subscribers must wnis urtil
ii suits the convenience of the company
to fix the wires.
paper in the last few days in trying TO
call up the Office while out on duty has
shown the utter fsliacy of anv Of tie
claims for improvement of the service.
On Thursday one reporter tried six differ
ent times TO call up the Office for ins.-uc.
tions and 10 report on his assignment.
but failed 10 get an answer. though souie
one was in the office to answer him ere-v
time he tried TO call. Another reporter
had similar experience yesterday. cali
ing the Office four times without result.
Being told there was no answer when
making his fourth attempt. the reporter
asked for the business Office. This he Sc
cured and in that way reached the eei |
torial department. At the very moment
he was told no answer" could be secu-s.l
from the editorial rooms = member of the |
staff was in the editorial rooms waiting |
for the reporter 10 call up the Office and |
wondering why he had not obeyed in |
structions- Central had simply made no !
effort whatever TO ring up the editorial
rooms in response TO the request of the |
reporter for them 10 do 50.
Another member of the staff had s:E,- |
liar experience in trying to get The csics
Of the clerk Of the court yesterday.
These experiences Of members Of the
staff of The Republican are bur samples
Of the experience of hundreds of sab
scribers to the telephone serrice and are