The Robesonian., 1917-09-10
POOR TELEPHONE SERVICE

factory phone service by the South
ern Bell for some years now, but the
folks, severally and collectively,
have exercised exceeding great pa
thence and have soothed their ruffled
spirits in moments Of evaporation
by laying the unction to their souls
that next time it would not happen
that way and the service would get
better Folks can't stay mad all the
time, you know, and as a rule it takes
a mighty bad service to arouse any
considerable number of people to
kick more than intermittently. But
even a great and benevolent corpo-
ration like the Southern Bell must
admit that after all these years it
is hardly surprising that Lumberton
folks have decided that patience is
no longer a virtue. "The trodden
worm will sometimes turn"
Wherefore it is to be hoped that
the Southern Bell will reason to-
gether with Lumberton folks about
this service. Surely it is entirely
reasonable to demand reasonable SER
vice.
AT their meeting last Thursday
night the town commissi ioners in
structed the town attorney TO protest
to the Southern Bell about the in
adequate service given the town and
40 hn n
better service and an up-to-date sys-
tenn to take the place Of the old "cof-
fee-mill" system that vexes the soul
of every user.
The very next day-Friday-a
Lumberton business man came into
The Robesonian office mad all over
about the phone service. He did not
know, nor did we then, that the town
fathers had at last taken cognizance &C
of this matter. And, decidedly NOT
as per usual custom, he did not ask
the newspaper to cuss 'em out but
not to use his name. Nosiree, his
name is Mr.. F. P. Gray, and we use
his name will his rull permission
He is connected in an official capac
ity with the Lumberton, Dresden ane
Jennings cotton mills. He said tha'
he and Mr.. H. B. Jennings, counting
the phones they use at their resi-
dences and the three mills, rent eigh
phones, and that the service is ant
has been for so long SO unsatisfac
tory that they have almost decided
to cut them out altogether and kee]
an auto at the door of the uptown
Office ready for use when they raw
TO Tx to am g: tra mills. Prctt
bad, when busy men to whom tim
is precious and who have constan
use for the phone every hour in tn
day, are driven to the point of Sc
riously considering step like tina
Coming down to cases, Mr.. Ora
said that the principal complaints
had to make were: Length of tim
1t takes to get connections; centr;
butting in while you are talking
phones are not kept in repair; ce1
tral cuts you off before you g;
through talking; ringing back
your ear.
How many men in town feel tn;
same way? We wondered. Mr..
M. Biggs, general merchant, SON
time ago, We remembered, had me-
toned the Service to US. We call
him up. No sir, he was not sati
fled with the service. Far from
Ought to give better. You call OF
number and if you want to call som
body else right away you have
go out to another phone.
Mr.. R. D. Caldwell, senior mer
ber of R. D. Caldwell & Son, w
called. He gave a short laugh
astonishment that anybody should
SO superfluous as to ask him if
was satisfied with the service. E,
phatically he was not. He thinks t
main trouble is with the old syste