The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-11-13
NEW EXCHANGE
IN FAR WEST END
Telephone Company Planning
for Large Future
Growth.
WEBER TELLS OF SERVICE
lie Asks Cooperation OF "a
irons at Table Talk
Luncheon.
WEBER TELLS OF SERVICE

/ Chesapeage and Potomac Telephone
Company. said yesterday at tho weekly
table talk luncheon Of tho Business
Mems Club that the company had
found it necessary to install now
exchange. He said that 1t would be
located on Stuart Avenue. near AIul,
berry Street. and that 1t would be in
service by October or next year
Mr.. Weber gave GONE Interesting
and Informing data about tho telephone
business. and seemed to satisfy his
hearers that much OF the complaint
against the system was not due to
negligence on the part OF its operators
or other employees. but to the subscrib
ers themselves, who fail to follow the
rules laid down for their own bene-
| Mt and guidance
Started with Twenty-Five Phones.
| In brief review of the history Of
| the telephone service no said that
| Richmond was one OF the first cities in
the country TO have n telephone eN-
| change. and that prior to the exchange,
| In 1873, system or twenty-five tele-
phones was established, with offices at
Thirteenth and Main Streets. The first
| exchange was established in 1882, on
i tho top floor OF the Hannewinkie Build
| ing, at Ninth and Main Streets. In
| 902 tho first underground system was
! laid out and constructed In 1890 there
were but 7sS telephones In the city,
| In ten years the system grew to about
1850. and In 1912 there wore 2.2oo
| telephones To-day there ere $4,000
telephones In service
| He said that the record In the Build
| ing Inspectors office shows that there
arc $4,000 homes of various sorts in
/ Richmond, and that 10.525 OF them
/ have telephones. Two central Offices
are required TO serve the patrons. and
| II third Is TO be erected at once.
| There are now 230 operators, he said.
| and they receive an average OF 49,
| 600 calls a day. To handle this service
| a competent and thoroughly trained
| force must be on hand and the COM
| pany maintains Il school for opera tors.
4 Sixteen Errors to 1000 Calls.
With such large volume OF tele-
phone messages some troubles must be
| expected, he explained, but the company
attempts TO keep them down to q min
imum Observation has shown that
only about sixteen errors are made out
OF every 900 calls, which is remark
| able showing. Much OF the trouble, he
said originates with the subscriber
himself who fails to follow rules. For
instance, he said. observations ana rec
ords of erroneous calls show that Suo
times II day subscribers are calling for
Madison numbers when they want
Monroe numbers, and vice versa
And records show, he said that la
ner cent of the telephones asked for
are reported busy" which means, IN
most cases. the operators have prac-
tically performed moro work than II
the connection hnd been actually es-
tablished. In order to reduce tho mum
Der Of service Interruptions to mini
mum, he said, every line in the central
office .s tested twice week, and thou
sands OF cases of trouble are remediod
without tho subscribers knowing any
thing about their existence. In nddi-
ton to these tests. there ia n force OF
men patrolirg the switchbonrds and
apparatus.
Plans for New Exchange.
Tho telephone company's plans in
Richmond" he said. ARE laid out In
an orderly, careful and logical way for
1 many years ahead. Az ! havo just
pointed out, we discovered the neces-
year, and. i'll crder TO have this ex-
change In readiness when 1t is re-
quircd, the property has already been
purchased, the plans have been com
pleted, and the new building WILL in a
very short time. be started.
"A force Of commercial engineers
has spent months IN Richmond work
ing out the engineering problems OF
tho system for many years ahead AS
result OF their studies and conclu
aions, we have In our possession full
data III Tho probable growth OF Rich
| mond to the year 1880; Including tho
population. aize OF area covered. prob
able nunlbe- of houses. and much other
valuable datn, from whicl, we arc In
| Il position TO keep abrcnst--or rather
ahead-of Richmond's telephone re-
quiramcncs FOR many years to como.
Relations with Public.
TN conclusion. I want to say just q
word about the relations between tho
company and it's subscribers. in dcui-
ing as we do with such = large num-
| her Of people In every wall; of life
end under every possibiJ phase and
col dition of life. and In having TO en-
plcy such large forco OF people to
carry on these dealings there are
naturally many opportunities for mis-
understandings between the company
1EG it's pa ions. We recognize this
and use every legitimate means con-
sis;ent with prooA- business policy 10
reduce these lisunGerstanGiings to a
n.inimum.
/ Our rules and regulations are based
upon many years experience In the
business, and represent those methods
and principles which we believe are
best adapted to the needs OF our sub
scribers. and to tho proper operation
of the system.
Our employees are instructed to ex
plain the reason rather than the rule,
and | earnestly urge you to come to
us before passing Judgment when
anything goes wrong. that you do not
fully understand. for feel convince
that we can always either correct the
trouble or make you satisfactory OK
pla ma ton.
1.-THE Chesapeake and Potomac 1'eIe-
phone Company, of Virginia. realizes
Its responsibility to the public of Rich
mond for rendering an efficient tele-
phone service, and believes that 1t can
give an entirely satisfactory service
only with the full understanding and
support OF the public. which 1t Is us
Ing every proper effort to bring about.
TRANSFERRED TO ROANOKE.
Revenue AEent SANS May He Placed