Evening journal., 1914-06-23
IDLE CURIOSITY ys. TELEpHONE EFFICIENCY.

IDLE CURIOSITY VS.. TELEPHONE EFFICIENCY.
Y Efficiency is the real test Of the usefulness Of
H. telephone service to the public. Connections
must be made quickly the plant must be in such con
dton that what is said the wire may heard dis
tncty and care must be taken TO clear busy wire
with the greatest possible expedition that 1t may be
placed at the disposal OF another subscriber.
TO produce such efficiency there is a diyison Of re-
sponsiblity Part Of Il rests upon the telephone com
and the remainder upon the subscribing and the
using public. The company provide for quick ac-
eurate and courteous services II guard against de-
probation Of its plant but it guard against the
smotherne Of the exchange with unnecessary calls
and the cloggne the wires with unnecessary mes
To those evils it Is dependent upon the
common-sense and forbearance OF the public which,
in the interest of the general good should use the tee
phone only when it may be necessary do for busl-
and social reasons.
Telephone subscribers in Wilmington have noticed
for years that every time there is a fire alarm the
telephone system is demorazed to greater or lesser
extent in far is available for Legitimate busi-
and social The operators do not respond as
quickly as at other times wires busy and all in
all, the service is far below its normal standard
Busy men and women quite naturally resent such a
condition. and criticize the company and its employees
for permitting II to exist The truth Of the matter IS
that those shafts Of criticism should be directed against
certain section Of the public and against the
company
That is because the company, such times is 10 the
grip Of thaMdemon Of Public Curiosity It ID power
less to do anything until the craving OF that demon
for information has been fully satisfied Business pro-
fessiona and social calls stalled in the exchange;
appeals for medical and surgical aid fall BY the way
side men, women and children, whose very lives may
depend upon the prompt arrival Of a physician or
Surgeon left helpless, while the wires are clogged
from end TO end with thousands of conversations akin
to the following.
Can you tell me where the hre is?s
Third and French"
Whats Hre?n
"A livery stable"
Anybody burned to death?"
mot SO far have heard"
Did they get the horses out?9
1--WE understand they did"
oh! I'm so glad of that. | always hate to hear OF
horses being burned. Whose stable is it?"
"Hendersons'
Docs he the buiiding?'
mo- re Underwood estate owns the building"
Can you tell me what the loss is?a
why no. the fires just started"
"Oh! that's Excuse mic for asking such a foolish
question DO you know whether the building is in
sured?"
II understand it Isl"
"ln what mpany?n
1.-THE Saamander Mutual
.ltl hit the salamander quite hard, wont t?'
4 guess it can stand it. though How did the are
start?"
q don't know
4, wonder 4 IT Is o. ncendiary origln!"
Haven't heard
Maybe some Of the stable men were smoking about
the placer
Maybe
us Henderson covered by insurance?p
4 suppose So"
What blessipg How man, tons of hay we're in
the building?"
Il don't know"
II expect there were afteon or tuor+,. a ~, u
high now too Livery stable fires are bad but like
to see them because they spectacular The dense
clouds Of smoke the flashes Of flame the showers of
sparks and the falling in Of the roof make such fire
interesting, Well goodbye. Thank you, very much.
III call up again when you know more about IT,"
The blue-eyed. golden-haired ruby-hpped rosy
checked pearytoohed and alabaster-necked operator
purses her mouth and Kisses as she pulls out the
plug and answers another CALL only find that she has
the same sort Of an animated pyrocuriac and interro-
cation point at the other end of the line Hundreds
and at times thousands Of such calls are handled in
connection with every fire Of magnitude Those who are
interested in business and social affairs are crowded
off the lines and forced walt or to avail themselves
OF slower and more expensive lines of communication
And most Of them anathematize the company when
they should be paying their respects those who evnce
greater telephone interest in hre than that evinced
by member Of volunteer or a paid fire department
II is one Of the penalties our community has 10
pay for having blatant instead OF a silent fire alarm
system and must be suffered until a certain section
Of the public Is led to appreciation Of the fact that
legitimate business and social affairs have valid right
70 precedence idle curiosity in the use Of the ele
phone wires u is impossible the company to draw
me lne between users who are earnestly practical and
those who are idly curious That part Of the respons-
bfity for efficient service rests upon the public
"
BRUSH optimism is all right, but We would remind
SIT Thomas Upton that it brought success
to British challenger for the Americas cup No one
on this side Of the Atlantic disturbed by his declars
uon mat he viii lift the cup with Shamrock W. He
made similar declarations prior to each of his other
eup-hunting expeditions and the coveted trophy stn
is in the keeping Of the Kew York Yacht club
"Ty Cobb famous centerfelder for the Detroits con
hnues to get himself In the lmeight as result Of
ms supersensuve spirit Thus far he has ,scaped
fairly well, but II he is not careful his pugnacious