The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-04-07
THE GERMAN HELLO GIRL.
She Can Hold Her Job Until She Is 20
But No Longer.

| Des ANv AohSCi'
The German telephone girl gets her 10
through a civil service examination an
usually hangs on to il for life. Her aver
age age on entering the business must b
near 80. As she can stay until she is n
| tDut no longer), one sees many operator
whose age 1t would be ungallant TO guess
Novlees go to a training school, but ar
not paid while there, and the drill in praC
teal operation is complicated with a goo,
many technicalities OF construction. Oh
entering an exchange an operator is pal,
about 30 cents day.
She has four cents day increase eacl
year until the eighth or ninth, when sh,
is established, and cannot be discharge,
without considerable red tape. When sh,
has worked up 10 $3.50 a year, and $15(
extra for house rent, she stays at thai
pay until retired on pension.
On the back OF each operators chair ar,
two bags, a black one TO hold head sci
and service property, and brown on,
Tor her lunch and personal belongings
Operators freely talk back to hostile
subscriber and pleasantly pass the time OF
day with a friendly one. They apparent
ly talk to one another with little restraint
while at the board.
Working hours are about 10 a day
Girls work the board from 6 a. IN. to 1O
p. m. Night operation is done by men,
paid double wages, and they repair cords
and work about, the board as well as an.
swer calls, for the night traffic is very
light.
Supervisors are not so numerous as
with us, and handle 10 to % operators
upon lines that do not tend to produce
the quick service our public is accustomed
to. The cardinal virtue of the German
service is its cheapness, and the cardinal
defect its leisureliness
Berlin calls average two and half
cents apiece, and it is possible to talk
nearly 400 miles for % cents. But the
German exchequer, of course, bears the
burden of deficit, on the same plan as
Uncle Sans post Office.
One excellent practice universal in Ger
many Americans might well adopt. Tele-
phone managers here are now trying to
bring subscribers to identify themselves
when answering the telephone. Every
German does 1t, for instead of saving
Hello" the form of answering is in
ylarably HER Karl Schmidt" or 'This is
Karl Schmidt"
Long distance operators identity them
selves by their towns SO that when Frank
fort on-the-Mainl is rung up from Berlin
The operator says 'This is Miss Frank
Iort'' or Heir Fraulein Frankfort" The
traulem is never left off.
While long distance is cheap, it is also
crowded through the day, and considera-
Die time is needed to get message through
IS rule. The Berlin operators on long
distance speak several languages, as they
ire working with French, Italian, Rus
ian, Swedish, Dutch, and other operators.
The Ober-lnspekter at Berlin gave one
musing fact on this point. While all his |
operators handling traffic to Paris speak |
french, learned in the thorough German
ashton, only one or two long distance |
peratos at Paris condescend to speak
ierman
Some of the exchanges have comforta-
lie lunch rooms where coffee is served to
he operators, and all will have them in
line, it was said. The telephone service
n Germany is like most business there in
hat the employees have two hours for
earty meal in the middle of the day and
o home to take nap. Peaks in the traf-
C come at two points, to IL in the
forming, and $50 to $50 in the after
DON. A double charge is made for night
rafiic, and so it is light.
Information" is also rather a placid
erson, and complaints are handled upon
system which furnishes many contrasts
} the American practice. 1t is said that
n operator will often enter into a detail
| discussion with subscriber who asks
n firm whose number he does not know
nd finally turn him over to "1nforma-
on reluctantly.
When the call comes to the information
ssk the operator there has little but the
fcial telephone directory to go by. If S
lat will not answer the question it COM t
only goes begging. The directory is is t
led once a year and not even the list of L
Nv subscribers is posted promptly at the s
,sk Ii complaint comes in too the b
,erator will frequently discuss the matter b
it'll the subscriber, especially in the case b
a wrong connection or premature cut a
If she cannot establish an abb and it /
les further the supervisor or inspector u
primands her for that particular Of I
nse, but nothing. else happens. If the a
mplaint gets as far as writing, the au- "
critics reply, stating to the subscriber h
at both parties are at fault and they j.
II try to correct the shortening. The s;
bscriber's letter is read to the operator C,
tn caution. W
One inspector said that the operators p
ndle three complaints to his one, but Of
ded that this was largely the fault of b
bscribers, who have the habit of taking 81
trouble direct with the operator. If an h
orator complains that subscriber has f
suited or sworn at her, the subscriber h;
n be fined or have his telephone taken o1
'ay.-Telephone Review. W
:. :. hi
Philip Hale recalls. apropos of the rlmor Ia