The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-04
Company Side of Rural Line
Controversy.
Demonstration of Reliability of
Magnetic System.

GIVE me a magnetic telephone any
time, said Henry Johnston, district
wire chief OF the Bell Telephone COM
pany.
It's the most practical and reliable
telephone" declared Mr.. Kellam
Several officials of the telephone COM
pany this morning demonstrated the
superior qualities of the magnetic
phones which have recently peen IN
stalled on the rural routes about To-
peka.
The principal difference. to the mex
perienced eye between the magnetic
and common battery is that the for
mer requires the unreasonable eXer-
ton of raising the right hand ana 1lng-
ling a small bell to summon central.
On this account, solely and unsupport-
ed, the magnetic is condemned as prl-
mitive and old-fashioned-
For the benefit of a State journal
reporter Mr.. Johnston set up a mag
neto telephone and called various pat
rons on the rural routes
working fine said the Farmers
with the new phones
Service all right" buzzed the sub
scribers with the unmistakabie burr OF
common battery connection in eacn
voice.
Both phones are operated on the
same switchboard-the expert that an
s---~~s the rural calls has $500 lines
within reach. There are two rural
lei.o-sirls. and S. w. Black. u KAN
sas City special agent, who is in To-
Teka today. declares another position
* to be added.
1T is our intention to esta blish an
other rural position he observed.
during the operation. of, these rural
lines under the magnetic equipment
there naturally are periods of the day
live a
additional operator. The company IN
tends to open another position as soon
as equipment is available.
Mr.. Black indicated the rural opera
tC-.
You see she's a part of the main
switchboard he pointed out. lit Is not
n separate switch in any sense of the
word. The multitude of the Topeka
subscribers are in front of the rural
operator Anyone sufficiently interest
Ell can verify this by brief call"
One great advantage of the mag
neto phone is that if patron leaves
the receiver down. the entire line isn't
thrown out of com mission. The wire
chief left his receiver on his desk to
show what would happen. A light
flashed before one of the operators,
who promptly plugged up the line,
and reported it to the hospital board
as-in the language of the chief-a
and an examiner was sent to investi-
gate. If a rural route patron five.
even ten, perhaps twenty. miles from
Topeka had forgotten to hang up his
eceiver, his whole party line would
have been affected and an inspector
would have waded through miles of
snow and mud, found no signs of
trouble, clicked Il receiver on a hook
and nurmured a reckless word of one
syllable.
If a patron with a magnetic phone
forgets to hang his receiver, there are
no disastrous consequences. His rings
and batteries are in his own tele-
phone, and there is no harm to any
one but himself.
This is the only exchange 1 know
in the Missouri valley Mr.. Kellam
declared, where they operate rural
lines on a common battery basis. At
one time people didn't believe it could
be done
Last year about this time Scott
Hopkins addressed 200 members of
the alumni of Kansas university over
a magnetic phone. Mr.. Hopkins sat
comfortably in Topeka and talked to
100 alumni who lounged cozily about
big table with receivers at their
ears.
Telephone experts the country over
unite in declaring that magnetic me-
tallic lines are the most competent
instruments in the world.
They're reliable at all times" in
sisted Mr.. kellam. Their virtues
cessity of the quick crank to which
so many of our patrons apparently
object"