Evening star., 1902-08-15
TELEPHONE RATES
Effect of Adopting New
Rules.
PAY STATION CHARGES
REDUCTION MADE FROM TEN TO
FIVE CENTS.
Other Regulations That Are Not So
Satisfactory to the Public
Operators Organize.

Just after the adjournment of Congress
the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
Company announced reduction in rates
for local messages. One effect Of this was
that the pay station rate became cents
a message instead of 10 cents as heretofore
new schedule for the regular subscribers,
called the message rate was also es-
tablished. Formerly when a call was made
from pay station the person making the
call was permitted to call the person want
ed to the telephone. If the person called
was not reached no charge was made. If
successful in the call. however. the caller
could talk long as he wished
Under the present system time is called
at the expiration of five minutes and an
other nickel must be deposited before the
conversation can be continued. The un-
fairness of not having the operator call
the party to the phone is manifest. Some
times the person wanted is long distance
from the phone and the five minutes limit
expires before he can possibly respond
when he is sent for.
In Case Of Private Exchange.
If private branch exchange is called.
the patron is left to the tender mercy of
the exchange operator. Very often the sta
tion wanted is busy. The caller, however,
has already paid the nickel, and receives
good CALI and if the caller wants to
try again to reach the station on the pri-
vate branch exchange he must pay another
nickel The exchange operator will not
permit the caller to hold the line as
she does not want the exchange trunk
lines kept busy. The same Is true of calls
made from message-rate telephones. eX-
cept that instead Of deposting the nickel
the subscriber Is charged with the calls,
without being so informed. Under the old
system the subscriber was allowed to tell
the operator that he did not get his
party" and the call was Cancelled Now
the operator does not heed such reminder.
She simply charges the call.
Again if an office of the District govern
ment is called through the District switch
board, and that Office is not on the ex-
change, but has a separate telephone, the
subscriber has to make another call. In
such cases central charges two good calls.
OF course when the bills are rendered the
subscribers will find that their charges
are more than they would have been under
the old system.
Central Operator Suspended.
At the same time Central Is suffering,
for she Is the one to charge the calls or
make tickets, as she terms it. Her work
Is very much Increased. Recently one of
the switchboard operators was suspended
for one week because she charged for one
CALL when the company considered that two
calls had been made. In that case man
called from a public pay station for Ger
tain number. There were two numbers for
the same company the telephones being in
different parts of the building. AS central
usually gives the second number when the
first Is busy, she did SO in this instance.
But the person answering the phone told
the operator to give the other number, be-
cause the person wanted was in another
part of the building The operator there.
upon charged for one call. The manager
discovered this later in the day and the
operator was suspended. When an expla-
nation was offered the operator was told
that the company was not giving free
calls and she was not allowed to explain.
Operators Organize
The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
company In Washington is controlled by
out-of-town people Recently a number Of
heads of the various branches Of the COM
pany were discharged and new people put
In charge. These new chiefs have made
rules for the employees, lengthening hours,
regulating Sunday work, etc. AS a result
organizations for protection have been
formed among the employees The Tele-
phone Operators Union was among the first
established The telephone company is not
friendly to this organization. 1t is, how
ever, one Of the strongest in the city II
Is said that the sus. ension of the young
lady In question was cue partly to her being
a member of the union. In recognition Of
that understanding the Central Labor
Union, at recent meeting, appropriated q
sum sufficient to reimburse the young lady
operator for the time lost