New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-29
PHONE A BRITISH WOE.
"Chaotic and Maddening Ser
vice" Says One Subscriber.
APOLOGY FOR CRITICISING
Postmaster Generals Time, It
Appears, Is Too Much Occu-
pied with Irish Finance.
G'rom The Tribune Correspondent

Prom The Tribune Correspondent
London. June 2l.-The government tele-
phone service in England has become
such joke that it is difficult for persons
III New York to realize what an awful
thing the English telephone IS. but per
maps the following letter from a sub
sCrlher To Herbert l.. Samuel the Post
master General. under whose department
the telephone comes, Will give some idea
Of what the public has to bear:
Dear Mr.. Samuel: / have RETAINED for
some considerable time from addressing
YOU on matters OF complaint in connec-
ton with the telephone. telegraph and
postal services, for | have felt IT was
simply a useless waste OF time TO do so.
the only result being belated replies on
your part, some OF these replies being
about month after the date of my com
plant, and as the occasions for complaint
are SO frequent IL Is only further waste
OF time to reply 10 your belated answers.
i will, however. give you few In
stances OF the services which you have
not hestated 10 describe as satisfactory
to the public. your argument being that
because the complaints are fewer the ser
vice is better. This is absurd
zone OF your stock remarks In connec-
tion with telephone complaints is that
notice was not Immediately given 10 the
supervisor or the clerk in charge DO
YOU imagine a business man, after vast
ing considerable time upon the telephone
through the exasperating carelessness or
ineficiency OF your service, can waste
still further time and temper in making
complaints to a clerk In charge, VINO,
from my experience. does not concern
himself very much about the complaint
A Pleasant Little Practice.
1T has now become an almost con-
slant practice for your operators immc-
diately after one subscriber IS connected
with another TO cut of the connection
and ask, What number do you want"
The other day, speaking in the House OF
Commons cloakroom telephone TO the
City, this happened 10 me three times
during one short conversation.
If the present chaotic and maddening
telephone service YOU supply TO the pub
lie is TO continue would suggest that
the government provide special lunatic
asylums FOR those subscribers who Will
be driven mad by the use Of what / be
lieve to be the most inefficient and ex-
asperating telephone service In the whole
world.
The trunk lines between London and
Liverpool are occasionally satisfactory;
at other times they are so very unsatis-
factory that / fear some disaster may
arise through imperfect communication.
When speaking 70 my Liverpool manager.
giving instructions which are OF vital i'm
pOrtance and sometimes involving many
thousands of pounds the line is intermlt-
tent, with the result that / do not know
whether my instructions have been re-
ceived or not.
AT other times. II is so faint. or the
'buzZing Is 50 loud that communication
is impossible. There is no excuse for IT.
for within q short time. on another call.
may get 81 perfect line. Your usual
excuse Is the suggestion that my instru-
ments are out Of order all I have TO say
is that II they are out OF order one minute
and IN order the next II is very remark
able