New-York tribune., 1919-12-02
Unsatisfactory Service Due
in Part to Conditions
Operators Work Under.
DIR. D.L. Hubbard Reports
Sanitary Code Is Violated
Company Asserts Hygiene Is
Car Above Average"
and Girls Comfortable

Unsatisfactory telephone service is
due IN large measure to the unhealthy
conditions under which the girl opera
tors work, according to SUMMARIZED
report yesterday of an Investigation
conducted by Dr. Dana I. Hubbard. SUI
perintendcnt Of the division of dus-
trial hygiene Of the Department OF
Health. The conclusions Of DR.. Hub
bard on thc s;toation in telephone ex-
changes follow:
The telephone operators arc forced
TO work in lily ventilated rooms. The
food served them st lunoheors. for
which they pay, is in many instances
rot clean. Inadequate ventilation is pro-
vided IN switchboard rooms, rest rooms
and lavatories. Plu~' blng conditions
in a rumber of exchanges are wholly
inadequate.
TIE speed under which the opera
tors work las seriously affected the
health of mary of the operators. and
because Of the scarcity OF women the
girls are forced to do twice the normal
amount of work they should do.
Sanitary Code Violated
"A total of II inspect ons were wade
Of telephone exchanges in the five
boroughs. In all eignty-two exchanges
were visited and one telephone train
ing school In addition, telephone pay
stations IN the Hotei Ansonia, the Hotel
fennsy sylvanla, the Pennsylvania Rail
road term'nnl and the Grand Central
terminal were ms octed. Many viola
tions Of the sanitary code were found.
In tho matter of lighting seven e.
changes had inadequate interior illu-
mlnapon. There are three complaints
OF telephone instruments not being
properly steriiizcd when they are
passed from one girl 10 another."
A comparatively small number Of TIE
oper tors IN the exchanges visited we're
examined physically, and it vas dis
covered that THREE We're suffering from
eye strain. two com ear trouble. one
rom headaches, two from stomach
trouble, four from intense nervousness.
ok from the effects cf trained or
STONED pastures four from extreme
reaching at witch boards) and none
ca d. OF auer.a. Girls " re timed bv
Dr hubbard at tseir wok. and he
found tnat they rived thci arms at
the rate OF l21 times q minutes.
When Dr. Hubbard was asked vcster-
cav, afternoon how his report had oeen
made public. he said:
Conferences Arr Held
81 Nave gwen out no C. heal state
lnenl to ny one, but there have been
conferences wiki va4.ous social work
ers 'n order that we m zht haze the
he"e~t OF eVcrs point Of view regarding
the surroundings OF the oIerators." Tie
decllned TO a5d anything t. tnis state
hen' or to aNplfy those Of HIS col
olus.ons regarding the telo.aone situa-
ton that had been n - l..bliC.
Dr.. Royal S. Cope ana, Health Com
10 sloncr, made this staternent:
Having received many complaints
from citizens rebarding the 5el-
"phone service It occurred to me
ihat the whole prebl'm may relate to
pubic heath and deserve the at.en-
ton Of this department. The division
OF Industrial hygiene was instructed to
send its inspectors into various Offices
of the telephone company to reDort
concerning sanitary violations and anv
other conditions that might have a
bearing on the health Of telephone en-
poyees. Like every other similar IN
vestigatiOn, good many minor viola
tions we're found. and these were point
ed out TO the telephone company.
assume all such health hazards have
been corrected. ii will be oul business
so Sc that they are.
Immediately following the announce
mert of this office that such an in
vestigation would be made, tie officials
of the telephone company came to my
office and frankly outlined reasons for
the unsatisfactory service, service
which they frankly admitted was not
only unsatisfactory TO the public but
also to the officials Of the company
] was told Of the large number of oper-
atols and expert electrician9 taken
from the company and sent to Europe
'n request o. the War Department.
Ut was pointed out that large mum
hcr of their employees mad taken ad-
Vantage of the salaries paid during the
war by munition factories and rimilAr
plants, and that in CO. cQuence the
telephone service broke down under war
conditi~As.
in company with the officials of the
telephone concern | visited a number
Of exchanges, and there had personal
verication of statements made by the
officials. There can be no doubt that
the chief difficulty in the telephone ser
vice is the fact that a thousand addi-