Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-12-09


called for a number, and would you
believe it the operator was actu-
ally using the line herself to talk to
some man. When l asked her po-
litely if I couldn't have the line, she
told me to Get off that line, I'm us
ing it, But that's nothing-some-
times | wait half an hour on the
line before the operator answers and
l know there is nothing the matter
with the line, for I can hear the
clock ticking at central -
Half a dozen more ladies were
called upon by Mrs. E. Payson, each
one of whom related instances equal
ly exasperating. And then Mrs.
Smith called on Mrs. Perron, expect
ing that good lady to bring matters
to climax by suggesting some def
mite plan of action. They always
looked to Mrs Perron for plan.
Mrs. Perron began by asking Mrs.
Smith questions.
"Mrs. Smith, did you ever visit
the telephone exchange?'
Certainly not, Mrs. Perron, why
should II"
"Have you ever seen these girls
whom you say are impudent and in
competent?"
Most certainly mott"
care you prepared to say from an
actual investigation that the tele-
phone company takes no means to
maintain discipline in its operat-
ing rooms?"
"Why should that interest us?
Service is what we want-not an in
vestigation to find excuses for the
telephone company"
EMO, Mrs Smith, if the telephone
company is to blame, it should not
be excused; but before we condemn
it and especially before we condemn
some twelve hundred working girls
as incompetent and ill-mannered,
we should take steps to ascertain
the facts in the case. 1 move that
we appoint an Investigating commit
tee
Right here the little fat lady OBJ
jected.
eve don't want investigating
committees, we want telephone SER
vice."
"Mrs. Simons," questioned Mrs
Perron, "have you a party line?"
"a party line? What's that got
to do with it, if l have?" Mrs. ST.
mons parried.
II was thinking of the case you
just cited, when you said the opera
tor was using your line"
Certainly we haven't a party
line, we live in the Eldorado Apart
ments and telephone service is fur
nished the guests"
ooh, that explains it! The Edo
RADIO Apartments have a private
switchboard, and the young lady
who operates the switchboard also
has other Office duties. The time you
speak Of, she left two listening
keys open and threw your line in
circuit with another line, and it was
another guest who told you to get
off the line!"
It took Mrs. Perron an hour to OBJ
tain this telephone knowledge at
central" but it crumpled up the
little fat lady in heap. She sat
down quick, red in the face and
speechless.
Then Mrs. Perron walked from
her chair to the front of the hall,
and in a voice as clear as bell, she
made probably the first speech in
favor of the telephone operator ever
made at disinterested public gath
ering. The ladies were breathless
with surprise. When Mrs. Perron
made a speech, she knew exactly
what she was talking about and she
had that wonderful faculty of win
ming the sympathy of her own sex.
When she finished, half a dozen of
the ladies, who had visited the ex-
change with her, made rousing
speeches in favor of the telephone
operator. They actually clamored
for an investigating committee to
see what could be done to give the
telephone operators the appreciation
they deserved at the hands of the
public.
Mrs E. Payson Smith had recov-
cred from her surprise, but the more
she recovered, the madden she be-
came. Finally, she gavelled the in
surgents to silence, and in a few
particularly ill-chosen remarks,
made the first open breach between
the two factions of the ladies clubs
In the big city, where she had
heou en- long mistress Of clnhdom