The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-07-18
PIE NE co. PLANS
= new SERVICE
NEW EXCHANGE READY NOV. Is
AutO-Manual System, Which II Is DeCIar-
ed Will Give Quicker Service, VIII
Be Installed this Fall

When the Home Telephone Co. has
installed the Auto Manual system Of
exchange in the local Office, Hood River
will be the first city west of Gales
burg, ILL.,, to have such apparatus. The
local company has been considering the
new system for several months and
about the middle of June Chas. Hall,
president Of the company, left for
visit TO the four eastern cities, where
the apparatus has been installed and
found successful. Everywhere the
Auto Manual system has been applied
il has been found TO be very success
full, says Mr.. Hall. who returned last
week. The patrons are highly pleas
ed with the quick and efficient service
it gives and nowhere did | find any
complaint against it. T"
The Auto-Manual system is a combin-
alton of the system at present used in
the local exchange and the automatic
Exchange devices 1t eliminates all of
the plugs used by the manual system,
| the manipulation of which consumes so
much of the operators time. One op-
orator can attend to as many calls and
do the work more quickly than could
| four working under the old system.
! The patron takes down his receiver Just
as though using the present system
gives his number to the operator, who
by pressing the keys of board resem-
bling very much that of an adding ma
chine, starts to work the automatic
machinery which places him in con
nection almost instantaneously with the
phone of the party deshed. AS soon
| "a the a lapar thot
starts the bell of the box called to
ringing, she is at once cut out. She
doesn't know who has made the call,
nor can she hear the conversation.
The bell of the telephone of the party
called will ring for three seconds, re-
main silent for six seconds and then
repeat the operation until answered or
until the party making tie call hangs
up ana the dsconnection is made auto
matically. Thus by the continual ring.
ing a quicker service will be brought
about. If the telephone is busy, when
the operator makes the connection for
the one calling, the busy buzz notifies
the party calling. Mr.. Hall states that
! the average time taken by an expert
in receiving a call and making the con-
nection takes about three seconds. The
! installation Of the new system will not
require any changes made to the out
: side system of wires. and as soon as
y the new apparatus is installed in the
= = new exchange building now under con.
y struction, the wires will be gradurallS
= cut in on the new system.
= The operation of the Auto-Mauna
/ telephone exchange apparatus is yer
y y simple and is easily learned as that o
~ an adding machine. OF course, tn,
= beginner will be slower than one uset
to the mechanism, but it takes but 1
: few hours of experience to become
: expert. When the new system is ap
: Piled to the local exchange, says Mr..
:, Hall. I'VE will fear no complications
: from lack Of operators or strikes for
in such cases, MIR. Winter, the man
ager, of the system, or | can take. the
exchange and handle the service.
The excavation for the new exchange
building at the corner of Fifth and
state streets on the property formerly
owned by DR.. j. +. Watt, has already
been dug and the foundation is being
laid. The designs, drawn by r. R.
Bartlett, call for brick structure two
stories in height. The lower story will
be occupied by the Offices of the tele-
phone comrany, while the second story
will be constructed for flats. The
members of the University club are
considering the rental of the second
story for club quarters. The budding
will be so constructed that third
story can be easily added
The architecture of the new building
is of handsome design. The structure
will be completed this fall not later
than the middle of November; for by
this time the company hopes to have
all installations of the new system
made and to have it in operation
''The most of the companies of the
eastern cities, says Mr.. Hall, "have
taken advantage of the opportunity
offered them by the installation of the
new service, and have raised their
rates. The Home Company rates will
remain the same"