The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-01-20
TELEPHONEF FOLK
FACE BIG PROBLEM
Seek Plan to Provide Work for
Long-Distance Wires Idle
at Night.
"NIGHT LETTERS" BLAMED
New Telegraph Service AS
signed as Cause for Light
Business After Dark.

Ever since the telephone companies
discontinued the cheap rate service for
long distance messages at night. officials
have wrestled with the problem of
finding work and business for the wires
which in many instances are idle after
dark While the public has not been
called upon for suggestions or advice
1t is known that an effort rs being made
10 devise some system by which the
dun hours may be made profitable. 1t
is not likely, however. that the night.
or half rate service, will be restored.
for the very reason. according to the
company theory, that the bulk of the
day business might wait for the lower
tariff which would cOngest traffic
and thereby bring about condition
similar To that existing in former times.
In most important centers. the
heaviest burden upon the long distance
wires begins about 10 or 1890 o clock in
the morning. continues for two hours,
and then picks up again between
3 and Q clock in the afternoon. There
is not much of Il rush early in the
morning. around luncheon time. or
late in the afternoon, when Offices are
being closed. and people are hurrying
home.
Many social messages are trans
mittcd before the theatre hour, and
there isn't much thereafter. for person
E
asks for d connection with a smaller
town. It is clear. therefore. that during
a large part of the day the long distance
wires fully equipped. are not producing
any revenue. How TO get this revenue.
even at less profit. without congcsiing
the service everywhere. Is the problem
with which telephone officials are
wrestling.
Night Letter Is Blamed.
fru4h known H. might
he shown that the Inauguration of
the night letter service by the tcle
graph companies has affected tho long
distance business of the telephone.
These messages arc filed anywhere
from G O'Clock in the evening until
turn on the wire. and It man sending
a night letter simply files il and goes
his way. But in tho old days Of the
half rates the long distance telephone
wires were sWampcd at o'clock.
while people frettcd and svore when
informed that the lines We're busy.
The problem is one which we find
difficulty in solving" said an official
who has given much thought and study
TO the question during the past few
weeks. our business Is not like that
of the telegraph companies. We fig
ure that VIC can bring in a bigger rev
enue If VIC could put on d cheap rate
for a preferential period. yet that
would mean that the wires would be
paralyzed during tho bargain hour.
My own idea is that We are up against
d hard proposition.
Plan Cheap Morning Rate.
THE best that can be done is TO
make an experiment and put into effect
cheap rate early in the morning.
around Q or 10 o clock at night and at
such other hours when the record
shows the wires are idle. This could
only be temporary at best You
cannot separate social and business
messages. or otherwise We might give
cheap rates for social messages at
night. Frankly. though. / do not
know what will be done. Many of
the officials have been consulted and
all of the companies have endeav-
orcd to get at some system which
might spread the business. relieve the
peaks and keep the wires busy dur
ing the hours they are now idle
nder the former arrangement. near
" everybody put in d call for o clock,
and for several hours there was
stampede. That. however, was before
the advent of the night letter. The
record in each important office showed
how long the evening rush continued.
Men who profess to speak with au-
thority claim that the telephone pco-
pie cut out the night rate In order TO
get more money. while they now find
that expensive wires at night are dead
The bulk of important business which
is ROW handled by long distance cannot
afford to wait from 10 O'Clock IN the
morning until or O'Clock at night
There IL not much argument on that
point. Many telephone officials be
lieve that social messages have been
largely eliminated because of the ex-
ccssive charge while many of them
think that this business could be
brought back at night during the
bargain" period. AS general rule.
a voice Is carried quite clearly for many
hundred miles, but there is nothing so
exas perating as 10 be unable to hear
or he heard while the minutes are
cutting into the dollars. Allowance,
however Is made for wire trouble
But unless the telephone people can
get together on satisfactory system.
the same rates and rules will apply.
and meanwhile the long distance
wires will be waiting for trade.