The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-11-02
SPEAKING OF TELEPHONE
SERVICE

People have come to expect such
perfect service from the telephone
since they learned of it's possibilities,
they are greatly annoyed when they
fail to get what is expected. When
such disappointments come, people
generally blame the company operat-
ing the system, but years of observa-
ton bring the conviction that the
system is better than the public, and
that when the service is poor, most
of the fault lies with the persons
getting service at that moment.
The persons calling for numbers
speak less distinctly as rule than
do the operators. Many calls are
made for numbers that are not in
the exchange, or the prefix or the
suffix letter is omitted or given
wrong. With all these delays and
errors made by the public, the opera
tors are nearly always patient and
sweet-tempered, but the patrons are
much less SO, some of them actually
rude and abusive.
But the greatest weakness in the
telephone system and it's workings
is to be found in the operation of
party lines, and there the trouble is
brught on nearly altogether by the
practice oftaking down the receiver
when that particular home is not
called, or by listening-in when others
are talking. People who do either
of these things destroy the USEFUL
ness of the system and prevent it's
development and adoption by more
1rlo
lost for a time by people getting dis
gusted with the interference of their
neighbors. The substantial people
of the line quit, and those who are
less reliable and harder to collect
from don't have so much to listen
to, and the line is cut out of the
service entirely.
Many person wants telephone
service who doesn't get it, Some
body else is on the line and stays
on. Someone may be dying for want
of surgeon. and no kind of an ap-
peal to cut the gossipers off can be
properly acted on under the rules.
You may be gOssiping with some
neighbor while another person on
the line waits nervously for chance
to call party before a train carries
him out of reach, but the idle COS
sip goes on and someone curses, not
the gossips, but the telephone COM
pany.
The telephone is a great deal of
company to the woman on the farm,
| and there are many who call up
neighbors at certain times of the day
to have daily visit by phone, rea-
soning that as they pay for the SER
vice and it is there all the time they
can use it all the time or so much
of the time as they choose. That
would be true and it would be agree
able if there was nobody else on the
line and if they knew that nobody
else wanted to call either party. A
store has phone for helping to
transact business, but some thought
less person may call up clerk and
visit over the phone, not considering
that some customer is just ready to
ring up and place an order with that
store. The visitor is hindering bust
ness without knowing it. If it is
a party line and people are known
to listen-in when persons are talking,
nobody wants to talk over any pri-
vate matters or business on the line
at all.
1t is noticeable that most people
living on party lines do not identify
themselves when they answer
phone call. Those who are in the
habit of ilstening-in, never give their
names to anyone demanding to know
who they are. They say "Hello!"
And if you ask, "Who is it," they
say, who did you want?" Then
the man who thinks they are caves
dropping is apt to say, Identify
yourself or get off of the line till
you are called" And he is justified
in doing so. Anyone may take down
the receiver to see If the ring was
for that home, but when it is taken
down for that purpose in good faith,
the person will give his or her own
name instead of saying "Hello!"
And on finding it was for some home
he will hang up and stay hung.
1t is common occurance when
talking over party line, to hear
slight clicks as neighbors take down
their receivers to listen-in and the
voice at the other end grows weaker.
People who Will do that would put
their ears up to a window to spy
on the conversation of a neighbours
home if they were not afraid of the
dog. 1t is a habit that grows on
person, and they feel an impulse
to run OF the phone whenever it is
in use. Whenever you hear anyone
berating the telephone service of his
community, you hear an acknowl-
edgment that his neighbors, and per-
haps himself, lack efficiency in doing
their part of getting good service.
When every subscriber on party
line acts the polite, courteous and
honorable part in the use of the
phone, and hangs up just as soon
as the communications are finished,
keeping in mind that there are
others waiting to use the line, then
the talk about poor service will al
most disappear.