The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-11-25

thus registered. 1t is only occasion
ally, on the manual system that it is
possible to trace back call to it's
originating point. The same system
can be applied in case certain sub
scriber is being annoyed by hecklers
or practical jokers. The first few
calls would go through, of course, but
once the subscriber thus annoyed, re-
ports his trouble to the company, the
automatic lock is applied to his tele-
phone and it is only a matter of time,
usually a few hours, until the joker
finds himself riding to the police sta.
tion under escort.
In making intercity calls Minneap-
oils subscribers will dial the number
wanted in st. Paul the same as for 4
purely local Minneapolis connection
Before calling, however, he should be
prepared to give the checking operator
the number of his telephone and the
number of the phone called The auto
matte system, it is expected, will cut
down the time on inter-city calls from
minutes to seconds. Distance covered
makes no difference as the flash of the
first digit dialed travels fifty miles
with the same sped it travels one mile
or one block.
Provision has been made to take
care of any trouble which may bob up
during the first few, days and the Com
pany asks that the public cooperate
with it in getting the automatic into
successful operation.
ut is just like starting big ma
chine said r. l.. Barry, General Su-
perintendent. For several days we
do not expect that everything will
work as smoothly as it might, but, if
the company's directions are closely
followed, there will be few if any CON-
plants. If our subscribers could see
the maze of telephone wires which
have to be adjusted in each exchange.
not one would imagine it possible to
make the change without some small
error here and there. Subscribers who
do not get their connections immedi-
ately, through their own unfamiliarity
of the proper way to operate the dial.
or through some mechanical disar-
rangement. should report the nature
of their trouble without loss of time
to 1903, complaint department. The
automatic number for general informa-
ton will be 1902, long distance 100,
fire and police 49,
The Tri-State Telephone Company
sent in it's first order for automatic
equipment in September, 1914, and the
first consignment from the Chicago
manufacturer arrived in February,
1915. The work of installation was
first begun in St. Paul and the system
in that city was cut over the night OF
May 2S, 1916. With this out of the
way, the crews of automatic installers
were transferred to Minneapolis, al
though only to finish the work here.
which had progressed at fair rate of
speed during the same period the work
was in progress in St. Paul. The cut
over Saturday night completes the big
unit and throws the two cities and
their environs into one great auto
matte system.
in using the automatic telephone
subscribers should remember said
Mr.. Curtis. that every Tri-State num-
Der in the city has been changed. In
order to get connections and get them
quickly, the new numbers. and those
only, as listed in the new directory.
November issue. should be used. Old
Tri-State directories should be dis
carded at once and for all time. In
ST. Paul the day following the cut-over
many calls were ineffective because
subscribers persisted in continually
dialing old directory numbers. or
course, that was habit and not in
tended, because the offending ones an
nOyed no one but themselves and made
little more work for the complaint
department"
THE GREAT LEON AND HIS COM.