Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-01

II
Il M awake and progressive cities %
the great west in all other Affairs,
VbSS&xN IL still behind the times In the
- matter OF telephone service. With
the examples Of Lincoln, Hastings and
Sioux City, within a radius OF 100 miles,
equipped with and proud of their automatic
telephone service-a demonstrated success
Omaha still clings to the old manual system
Of telephone communication with its un-
satisfactory service depending upon the
frallties and suffering from the faults OF
manual operators.
The reason for this lack Of interest must
lie In the fact that the people Of Omaha
are not Informed upon the matter OF su-
tomato telephony and its advantages to
them. 1t is the object Of this articie to
enlighten them upon this subject, so that
when they are ready to lend their support
to the launching Of an Independent tele-
phone company which shall relieve them OF
the tyranny Of a monopoly on one of the
most important OF public services, that Of
communication, they may demand that the
best be given them, and that best in tele-
phony is automatic service.
The last years OF the nineteenth century
witnessed wonders in the way of hand
labor being supplanted by machinery, and
with the best results, so far as certainty,
uHllOEullNy anu Idplullg VI OpeIdtlOu are
concerned. Perhaps this is more noticeable
in the automatic switchboard than in any
other mechanical device. Today this tele-
phone apparatus is thoroughly standardized
and Is one Of the greatest triumphs In the
field OF automatics
No one will deny that the manual system
OF telephony is prolific OF many annoyances
and delays due largely to the carelessness
or poor articulation either of the switch
board operator or the person asking con-
nection. Every thinking man will admit
that these imperfectlons cannot be reme-
died in manual practice and that they can
only be eliminated by the introduction OF
an automatic device which places the call
ing and connecting processes entirely in
the hands OF machine. This is Just what
the automatic telephone exchange does;
It automatically and instantaneously con-,
meets the subscriber with the person de-
sired and gives 10 them a secret or private
line over which to talk.
In the automatic practice the subscriber
himself instantaneously connects with the
PERSON he wishes to call, and the apparatus
is so constructed that 1t is an impossibility
for another subscriber to "cut In" upon
or in any way interfere with the line he is
using The complaint, ''They cut us of, ="
is never heard where the automatic tele-
phone is used.
The frequent delays and mistakes which
the manual board causes are entirely un-
known to the users OF our automatic tele-
phones. Our switches never make errors,
never gossip. are never tired or sleepy,
nre not interested in the subscribers af-
fairs are never impudent or saucy. There
fore there is a refreshing absence from the
central ONCE, such as what number did
you say?" Talk louder" Put your face
nearer the phone" Did you get him?"
Are you throughT' etc.
II should further be borne in mind that
the same number OF switches are always
ut work ir an automatic exchange whether
the hour be night OF day. In the manual
practice the number of operators is In
creased during the so-called busy hours
and decreased when the nigAt comes on
and the volume Of business is supposed to
be lax. oftentimes this decrease OF force
is greater than the decrease Of business
win warrant, some special event OF catas-
trophe sending in a number of hurry calls