The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-12-26
PHONE OFFICE
in NEW HOME
NEW SYSTEM is BEING INSTALLED
Home Telephone Co. Will Soon Cut in on
AutO-MaRHal System, Latest Word
in the Telephone World

Howard S. Pratt, the representative
of the North Electric CO.. who is here
installing the to-Manual telephone
apparatus in the new State street
building Of the Home Telpehone Co.,
has been working for the past three
months in the hope of cutting in on
the new system by the first of the year
aud allowing Hood River people TO
begin the New Year with the latest
word in telephone Improvement.
However. his task of installation is
one requiring patience and the work is
slow. AT present it is impossible to
make definite announcement as to
the exact date of cutting into the new
system. 1t will probably be about
January Is.
The Home Telephone Co. has moved
its offices into the State street building
and the business of the concern is now
being transacted in the new home,
which is of red brick two stories in
height. The second story of the struc-
ture is used for apartments, rooms
having been fitted for three families.
The architecture of the building is on
the Colonial order.
No town IN the country, even though
it has population of Is, 600, has a
handsomer or better equipped tele-
phone Office building than does Hood
River. Hood River is the sixth city in
the world TO adopt the Auto Manual
system, which was chosen by Chas.
Hall, president of the company, who
spent the summer in Ohio and Indiana
pp a iru IN invau iuofiop nf tho oyatar,
of this method now in use. He was
well pleased with the method and
recommended its installation here.
The Auto Manual, which combines
characteristics of both the old time
manual and the automatic, is said by
all electric men and especially tele-
phone experts to be the latest thing in
the telephone world. 1t is predicted
that within few years all systems
will adopt its use. All of the big cleo
trc companies have paid the North
Electric Co. big sums for royalties and
patent rights to make use of the pro-
cess.
In addition to the construction of the
new building here this summer, the
Home Company has spent good
changing its lines. in order to make as
efficient as possible the new Auto-Man-
ual system.
The Auto-Mauual system is a com
bination of that at present in use by
the telephone company and the Auto
matte system. 1t eliminates all the
plugs used by the Manual system, the
operation of ,,aich consumes so much
of the operators time. One operator
under the new system can attend to
as many calls as could four girls under
the old system.
The patron takes down the receiver
just as he does under the present sys-
TEN and gives his number to the oper-
ator, who by pressing on the keys of
board resembling very much that of an
adding machine, starts to work the
automatic machinery and the connec-
tlon is made almost instantaneously
with the party desired. As soon as
the operator pulls lever that starts
the bell of the box of the party desired
to ringing she is cut out. She does
not know who has made the call nor
does she hear any of the conversation.
The bell Of the person called will ring
three seconds, remain silent for six
seconds and then repeat the ringing
process until the party answers or the
one making the call hangs up his re-
ceiver ard thus automatically discon-
meets the two phones. BY the contin-
uaI ringing a quicker service will be
brought about. If the telephone called
Is busy, as soon as central makes
connections the DartV MAKING the call
will be notified by hearing the busy
buzz. " 1t is stated that the average
time taken by an expert in receiving
and making a call on the new system
is about three seconds.