New-York tribune., 1919-12-13
Shortage of Operators and
Difficulty in Obtaining
Help Get Onus at Inquiry
Over Inadequate Service
Relief Seen in Device
objection to Night Work and
Private Switchboards Take
Many From Exchanges

The actual shortage of telephone
operstors IN Manhattan was estimated
between 900 and 700 at the hearing
e by the Public Service Commission
o. the I'd District in the Hall Of Rec
1rds Yesterday, to determine the rea-
son fer inadequate service during the
st gear 1t was demonstrated that
re Diihcuity of getting girs was sec
ndlrv 10 the difficulty of no ding
aem and that II was not q question
wages. but of hours and of having
0 gle mp their evenings. Five chief
perators or Manhattan and Brooklyn
ere agreed on this score 1t was said
hat tae school OF telephone operators
-ou handle $50 more gr.s q month
aan it IS doing a present.
The trouble that has been ex-
erienced by telephone subscribers
as definitely laid at the door of r.-
adequate G.. pment and shortage of
assistant vice-pres.dent of the New
.ork Telephone Company. He pointed
ut that the operating force of 1919
I'D been ncrea ed by 40 per cert
yer that of 1918, but that new sub
'ribers had Increased bv 90 per
con-, and old subscribers were adding
the load" by extended calls. II
Jreshadowed the use in New Yock
al apparatus for mechanical switch
g.
Hope for Better Service
When all the testimony had been
ken Thomas T. Fenne.l. OF Elmira,
re Pubic service Comm ssioner who
s7nducted the hearing, said the investi-
..atlon would oe he open pending
aromlsed Improvement. Any one who
Antcd q Iurther hearing cou call
or ii, he said and in The meantime
n engineer would inspect the situation
nd see whether the promise was a
ope OF merely dream.
t. b. Rogers chief OF the Division Of
1e.egrsph and Telephone OF the Public
eryice comm sSion, did the bu k OF the
Xamining, asslrted by j. L. Swayze gem
"a. counsel lor The New York Te.epnone
company. The chief operators O.
orchard, Bowling Green and Audubon
exchanges n Manhattan, and Main and
richmond Hill, in Brooklyn, were ex-
mined
MISS K NJ. Schmitt. in charge of the
NO schools of the New York Tee
hone Company, outlined the courses
,Iven TO CIR and SAID that the furmer
hree and four weeks terms had re-
ENTITY been reduced 10 TWO ana three
week, SO great was the demand Tor
iris.
~ do not believe wages are at the
DOT OF the trouble said Miss
3chmjtt- 81 think the hours are the
'hief source Of comp aint. Girls are
INV Hing to have to work at nights
nd on Sundays, even though they are
aid overtime.
Pay for Phone Operators -.
Miss Schmitt said that telephone
perators got SO so week when they
tafted work, INN d.ately after gr4du-s
ting from the school. This wa IN
rressed every SIX months by so cents
.niil at the end of six years they at
aimed their max mum Of $50 week.
lNertime is paid for at the rate Of 81
oN each evening and So for night
YORK This applies 20 Manhattan only.
Operators IN Brooklyn receive 81 {,
geek less.
Mis- ]. F. Mooney, chief operator
# Bowling Green Exchange, admitted
ae service rendered in her office was
either speedy nor as accurate as ii
once was. She blamed Industrial CON
e.tions for some of the t-oube and
pointed out tat t~afflc in her exchange
nad been unusually heavy during
mems strike anu other factors of un-
vest
She classified the reasons for girls
hrowne up their work as follows;
J. undesi able hours: (2) more at
active positions nearer home; (3) in
ability 10 aGapt themselves to the
sork; l4l the lure of the private
witcnDoard
Tie girl of to-day is thinking more
{ her evenings entertainment than
Vt her advancement" declared Miss S.
I. Stack, VINO has charge OF the Or
hard exchange.
Miss STACK said she was thirty girls
hort al present, and while she could
Get as manV as ten girls a month from
he school she was losing fifteen
month. There were sometimes as many
7200c calls day on her exchange
nd SITE Rad to handle them with
orce of l67.