The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1912-06-28
Long Telephone Conversations.

Is there anything more exasperating
than to attempt to make an important
telephone call and to find that other
parties are using the line to carry on
long conversation about inconsequent-
ial matters? At the first attempt, If
you are philosopher, you simply hang
up the receiver resignedly, realizing
that such things do happen occasionally
but hoping that the delay in the present
instance will not be long one. After
the lapse of what you believe to be
reasonable length of time, you make
another attempt to send the call only
to find the trifing conversation still
going on. If, in addition to being a
philosopher, you are man Tor woman)
of patience, you will again hang up the
receiver without swearing; but after
three or four attempts of this sort
patience undoubtedly ceases to be a
virtue and there is ample justification
for rage in the bosom of the mildest of
human.
The Telephone Company is authority
for the statement that the monopolizing
of party lines in this way for long
gossipy conversations has on occasions
been the cause of serious misfortune
and loss to other subscribers on the
line. Cases have been reported of
desperate illness, requiring the i'm
mediate attendance of a doctor, when
the necessary calls could not be made
because of the line being in use for
long periods. Occasions have also
arisen when assistance was required to
avert fire loss or to afford protection
from burglars and marauders when the
telephone was not available to summon
assistance for the same reason.
1t would seem that when persons
who were carrying on these long talks
about nothing were apprise of the
fact that another party on the line
wished to make al important call, they
would promptly relinquish the line,
tacitly acknowledging that it was
simply due to thoughtlessness that
they had talked so long, but cases have
been reported to the Telephone Com
pany where such persons have absolute
ly refused to give up the line even
when the third party went to the
length of explaining the urgency Of
his business. Cases of this sort, how
ever, are admittedly rare. 1t would
seem that few people would be SO
heartless as to refuse to relinguish a
line under these circumstances, but the
fact remains that such things do happen
at times The principal difficulty, how
ever, is when call is made from some
other exchange to subscriber on a
busy line. The Telephone Company
has no alternative in such cases, but is
compelled to report to the calling party
simply that the line is busy. The call
ing party has no way of breaking in on
the line to explain the nature of his
business and to request that he be given
the right of way Often times it may
happen that one of the parties who is
carrying on the conversation may him
self be wanted on business of the ut
most Importance. In case of this
sort he is not only depriving the other
subscribers of the use of the line but
is working hardship upon himself.
The value of telephone service for
business or residence use is beyond all
estimates. For the merchant or farm
er it provides numerous admirable
methods of increasing business. In the
residence it is a sentinel on duty at all
times, and ever ready to summon as
sistance in any emergency. In fact
the telephone has undoubtedly re-
volutionized modern business methods
and social usages. But with all its
virtues, like every other good thing,
best results cannot be obtained if it be
abused Long conversations on party
lines constitute about the worst abuse
to which it can be subjected.