The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-09-20
who Conformation" Is.

The Information operator is one
OF the most important persons in
telephone exchange. Not only is she
a compendium Of all useful knowledge
and great convenience to all tele-
| phone users. but she is indispensable
to quick and efficient service.
II was as means to quick and otfi'
! cient service that Information came
! into existence Just as the telephone
company found itself obliged by the
growth Of the system 10 require that
| subscribers should be called by mum
/ ber and not by name. so il had to find
! way of informing the public readily
! as 20 the numbers of new stations
! added 10 the lines day by day and as
10 changes in old numbers. The com
pany always avoids changing numbers
| If il is possible for IL 10 do so. Every
! change means considerable rear
| rangemont Of circuits In the central
! Office plant and sometimes in the out
| side wiring; besides. it complexities
| "Central's" work just so much until
poople become familiar with the new
order OF things In certain circum-
! stances number changes are unavoid'
! able, however.
For instance. when a man moves
! his Office or his home the company
generally has 10 put his telephone on
different line from the one with
which he was previously connected.
If he has a special line, with nobody
else on the same circuit, II may be
possible 10 alter the connections in
the exchange so as TO avoid altering
the line number. But If he Is on
party line this cannot be done, II is
easy 10 see. Also. In rearranging the
wires to accommodate growth, or In
expanding the central Office plant, II Is
sometimes necessary 10 change line
numbers. And as the use OF the tele-
phone increases there is all the time
an increasing number Of people who,
| finding that they need more facilities
than formerly, progress from party
! line service 10 special line or from
! line on which there are several par
! ties 10 one on which there are only
| two. In such cases, naturally, new
numbers must be- assigned since en-
tirely different circuits must De en-
! ployed.
Thus there is an unccasing stream
| OF queries coming 10 Central and
! the regular switchboard operators
neither can have conveniently avail
/ able all the information required 10
| answer these questions nor. II they
! did have II, could they, without scri-
! ously intcrrupting traflc, stop their
work OF handling regular calls 20 an.
I swer inquiries Therefore, the New
/ England company has In all It's Offices
OF any size an information desk"
where are kept the most easily avail
able form lists of all subscribers con.
nected with the oxchange-lists ar.
ranged by name, by number and By
street addresses, so that however n
subscriber Is asked for he can be
Identified and bis number given i'm
mediately
Every operator a. the switchboard
in an exchange has the means Of con
Meeting any line on which she an
swors calls with information To
Jnformation" Is referred every request
from a subscriber that goes beyond es.
tabishing communication with q tel.
epLObc the number of whi'N Is given
IN the first Instance You viii alwavs
save time II you Will ask your opcr-
ator 20 connect You with "lnforma-
ton when vo1 find 10 necessary 20
make any sort Of Inquiries regarding
ne telephone service. and no charge
Is made for calls of this sort whether
from a suhscurer's station" Or from
public pay station