Evening star., 1918-02-28
May Be Installed in Six Weeks
if Congress Gives
Authority.
GREATER EFFICIENCY
AND ECONOMY CLAIMED
Experts Preparing Answer-stand
for Government Ownership of Tel
ephone and Telegraph Expected.

Automatic telephone equipment for
the entire city. of Washington within
six or seven weeks, if Congress should
give the Post Office Department author
ity to take over and operate the local
telephone system, is the probability.
officials of the department look with
the highest favor upon the automatic
telephones, whereby the hello girl is
eliminated. If given the opportunity to
run the city's telephones the post office
probably will replace the present man
ual system with an entire automatic
equipment. -
Just how long this installation would
take is not definitely known. The best
Judgment today was that six or seven
weeks or possibly slightly longer,
would suffice for the readJuStment.
which would put the citys means or
oral communication by wire on a me-
chanical basis.
Department Likes Automatics.
The Post Office Department, which is
equipped throughout with the auto
matics" is of the unanimous opinion
that there is no telephone equipment
in the world to compare with the auto
matte dial system.
The Postmaster General. in his an
swer to Senator Kings resolution to be
presented within a few days to the Sem
ate, is expected to bring out fully the
history of the installation of the auto
matte phones in the Post Office Depart
ment- j..
Government experts are of the .decid-
ed opinion that the dial system is far
superior to the present manual system
In use throughout the National Capital
and it has been declared that if the au-
tomato phones had been generally in
stalled throughout the city before the
war there would have been no trouble
in Washington when wartime condi-
tions came.
Could Easily Make Change.
II Congress should give the POST
master General authority to take over
the local phone system it is generally
believed that the automatic phones will
replace the present equipment and it is
the opinion of those who have thor
oughly Investigated the subject that the
change could be made with practically
little upsetting of phone service
Little hardship would be worked
upon phone users by reason Of learn
ing to handle the automatics, it is
believed, as the operation of the dial is
comparatively simple, after it is once
II such change shall be recommended,
little trouble is anticipated in securing
the equipment
Such change ~ould not meet with the
Approval of the local telephone COM
pany. officials agree. They declare that
It was only after great effort and con-
siderable expense, and only when the
Post Once Department took the bull
: by the horns" and installed its own au-
-tematic equipment, using other lines,
that the telephone company agreed to
furnish automatics of it's own to the
Post Office Department
Great Economy Can Be Effected.
The tremendous economy to be eff
fected by the use of the autom atics, of
dcials declare, is instanced in the au-
tomatfc exchange itself. In case about
six feet long, six feet high and two
feet thick. is contained all the equip
ment needed to handle the post Offices
own automatic phones.
.. Approximately five seconds after the
proper numbers have been 'dialed' for
= call, the connection is made. If busy
there is hum. There is no arguing
with the mechanical system.
Officials of the department point out
that the automatic system is in opera
tfon throughout the middle west 1t
was in Richmond, Ind. that Post Office
Department officials first saw the auto
matics in use. They were SO impressed
with the Instruments that nothing
would content them. when they return
ed to Washington, but that the Post
Office DEPARTMENT should be equipped in
q similar manner.
Local Company Refused at First.
The local telephone company, it is al
legged, refused to install automatics
The Post Office Department then pro-
ceeded to buy and install it's own sys-
tenn. using rented outside lines. FL
nally. the telephone company, having
secured patents to make automa tics, a
compromise was agreed upon and the
telephone company's automatics were
installed. These latter are. in a sense,
semi-automatic, and connect with the
regular manual system in use through
out all the other government depart
ments and the city proper
Post Office Department experts are
busy To-day in preparation of the an
'swer to the King resolution. calling
upon Postmaster General Burleson for
Information relative to the proposal
made to the Public Utilities Commits
sion that the Post Office Department
run the local telephone system. No
stand less than government ownership of
telephones and telegraphs. in line with the
rail Lnn nd xft