The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-20
GENTRY WRITES ON TELEPHONE SERVICE Points Out Difficulties of
 Past Few Months NO EXPENSE SPARED President of Southern Bell Says Diff faculties in Birmingham Have
 Been Unprecedented in His
 Telephone Experience
NO EXPENSE SPARED

". T. Gentry, president of the South ern Bell Telephone and Telegraph com pany, has authorized D. F TurnbulI, local manager, to issue statement setting out the cases of the telephone service which no time. pains or money in continuing the gradual improvement which has been under way for the last 30 days.
 The letter follows:
 Atlanta, September 1S 1912. MT. D. F. Turnbull, Manager Southern
 Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company.
 Birmingham, Ala:
 Dear Sir: Confirming our conversation today in reference to complaints of ser vice at Birmingham, Ala, you are author iaed to make the following statements:
 Tn recent months there have been many circumstances mitigating against the rem dering of efficient telephone service in Birmingham. Among these are:
 "First-The fire which occurred last win ter which destroyed d large part of the central office apparatus at our main ex- change.
 ''Second-The sudden increase in the number of our subscribers following the retiring of the Peoples Home Telephone company from business
 "Third-The unusual weather conditions with heavy electrical, wind and rain storms throughout the summer months.
 "Fourth--The prolonged hot weather which, when it occurs, inevitably affects the individual efficiency of the operators and tends to lower the standard of service given.
 This office has been continuously and closely in touch with these conditions since the first of them developed. Imme- diately after the fire between s25,ooo and $30,000 was expended to give purely tenn porary relief to the situation.
 "Following this we had virtually to re- build the building around the operating room, giving continuous service under most adverse conditions.
 ''The connecting with the system of ap- Iroximately 5000 new subscribers in the past five months has necessitated a large amount of construction work both inside and outside of the building and has neces- sarily to some degree impaired the eff ciency of the service.
 We are now handling approximately 125,0OO calls day in Birmingham, as against approximately 100000 calls day a few months ago. The total Birmingham telephone traffic of the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph company today is in excess of tine combined telephone traffic of both companies five months alJ This has necessitated our employing over 40 additional operators within the past few months, and it has been i'm possible to obtain all of these from among the ranks of already experienced opera tors.
 With the return of normal weather conditions and with the gradual increase in experience of the new operators the service has, as is shown by the reports, already made considerable improve mont in the last 30 days, and while it Is not yet as good as we should like to have It, we are justified in saying that 9e per cent of all calls go through without any cause for complaint on the part of the su ,scribers.
 Tt is unfortunately true, however, that where the service has for any period of time fallen below the standard the sub Scr1berS nOtlCe those lew callS Wnlcn uO not go through satisfactorily and are in clined unconsciously to exaggerate men tally the number and importance of them
 orders have been placed for eight new sections of switchboard and estimates for the expenditure of large sums of money have been approved, authorized and the material ordered for the extension and betterment of the service.
 After careful review of all the cir cumstances. I feel sure that you will be justified in promising our subscribers a continuation of the gradual improvement which has been in effect for the last 20 days, and after the installation of the new switchboard and the consequent re- auction in the loads upon the operators who are now somewhat heavily burdeped as a result in the great increase of traf- fc. the service should be normal.
 There are now in Birmingham and have been from time 70 time throughout tie situation, the ablest telephone engi- ncers of whom we know and we will hes itate at no expenditure which promises to improve conditions
 "In the meantime I desire to express my entire confidence in the local manage p,ent and in spite of my recognition that the service has not been all that we should like. to express my qualification agernent has been coping with difficulties which have been unprecedented in my knowledge of the telephone business. Yours very truly
 w. T. GENTRY. President"