The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-07-20
CUPID is THERE
His Darts Are Cast in local
Telephone Office.
This Necessitates Establishing
School for Operators.
MANAGEMENT PLANS CHANGES
Various improvements viii Be
Made at Headquarters.
Later the Officials VIII An
nounce an "At Home"

pacause of a spirit of restlessness
that is experienced by phone sllIs ~
the good old summer time, tne ~ g. a.
agement of the local company mas +o,s
citled to establish a school Ior opeAe
at the jackson street once. ct,
.sTr, +xve1ve months" said h. Il. dWll-
lin district traffic superintendent We We
can ordinarily count on LOSING LLoni -
to so operators. A large perceIltase. -
+FeI,, leave in the summer time INC
,aoso, for which 1 have never pesIl
abIa to figure out OF course many OF
them get married .ho
.s1The average term of service at the
old Bell office was six months. Out ~
will be longer in this ONCE. w 1 "a s :
Girls that have been with us tor ~ 70
70 years but the percentage OF those
4tat remain any great length OF time IS
comparatively small.
school for Operators.
In the new school for operators q
switch board, duplicate OF secton u
a switchboard used in actual service
and which is manufactured ny nc
western Electric Co, will be useo py
the students. Then there will be desS
from which calls will be originated
Thus the students will be given prac-
fical instruction in the minute detalIs oA
operation.
For two months the beginners will be
dubbed student operators" and the
individual will occupy similar posi-
fion to the cub" on the staff OF a
newspaper.
The course of training will take from
four TO six weeks to complete according
to the ability of the girl Then for
dav or two the student will be asked to
watch an experienced operator as she
handles more than 800 calls an hour In
this manner she will gradually herself
become expert
Will serve Tea and Coffee.
Everything possible will be done by
the management for the comfort and
convenience of the employees. The rest
and dining rooms VIII be remooeleo
and enlarged In the latter tea and
coffee with sugar and cream as in the
past, will be served free of charge. One
hundred and twenty-five girls of the
exchange room will have these privil-
cges.
A Busy Place.
Since the cut-over was made a week
ago this evening the telephone eX-
charge has been a busy place In one
1av 10000 calls came in, and all week
more than 5000 calls an hour have
been handled. There are $50 lines
directly in front of an operator, and
she is supposed to reach in each direc-
ton and team with other operators
1t has taken 8 girls to operate the
local switch boards. Then aside there
is the chief operator. the assistant
chief, and four girls at the information
desk. Information" usually consists
of two girls, but until the rush work
necessitated by the merging of the two
systems is over the force of four will
be maintained.
Back of each nine operators at the
switch board is a supervisor whose
duties are to patrol her division and to
watch as closely as possible connec-
tions handled by operators under her.
Eleven switch board positions
were added to the local switch board
before the ucutoff was made.
New Equipment Ordered.
New equipment has been ordered for
the service observer. The present
board is not adequate. The operator
of this hoard observes every move
that is made from the time a perrson
calls number until the time the re-
ceiver is hung up. The minutest de-
tails are recorded on a blank for the
purpose. AEy laxness or inaccuracy
on the part of the operator is thus
detected Forty lines are connected