New-York tribune., 1920-10-14
Call-Your-Own
NunberPhones
Being Installed
New York Company Declares
Three Exchanges Will Be
in Use by Spring; Oper-
ators Will Be Retained
More Workers To Be Used
May Be Ten Years Before
Present Method of Making
Connections Is Abolished

Installation of the dial system by
which connections on all Of New
York's $4,000 telephones will be made
mechanically and without the interven-
tion of the operators familiar Mum
Der, please ?" has already been begun
in three exchanges.
J. S. McCulloh, vice-president Of the
New York Telephone Company, said
yesterday the new system would be In
operation in the Pennsylvania, the
Academy and Lispenard exchanges by
next spring. The Pennsylvania would
have $500 telephones, the Academy
$500 and the Lispenard, which would
Canal exchange, would begin with $500
telephones.
At first only new subscribers would
be given the dial system. Mr. McCul-
loh said it probably would be ten or
twelve years before the present method
of obtaining number through an
operator was entirely supplanted.
For the public the change would be
simple, Mr.. McCulloh said. A dial
about twice as big as an ordinary
watch would appear on the base of the
telephone. The subscriber in calling
number would merely have to turn
ber and the connection would be made
mechanically. But for the company,
Mr.. McCulloh explained. the adoption
Of the latest method would mean q
complete Transformation of their
mech anical equipment.
"The dial system will be put into
operation so gradually that the public
will become used to it by degrees" he
said. "Business will not be interfered
with in the slightest. BY next fall
the Pennsylvania exchange will have
total of $500 lines. There will be
81. Nicholas exchange with 5000,
Westchcster exchange with 5000. The
two latter will be in the Bronx. Booth
telephones will be the last affected by
the change.
II wish it to be understood that
the elimination of the operator does
not mean that we are going to dis
miss anybody from our employ. In
fact, we will be continually in need
of more operators. These will be
necessary for the long distance, in
formation and other departments
The New York telephone system, now
bigger than the one in use in the
whole of England, including London,
and many times larger that that of
Paris, is growing by leaps and bounds.
No one can conjecture how large it
will be in ten or twelve years, which
is about the time we estimate it will
take to put our present plans into
execution.
"The introduction Of the dial system
is not an experiment. Every new
scheme for improving the service is
thoroughly tested by the engineering
department Of the American Telephone
& Telegraph Company. If the scheme
proves good from the standpoint of
efficiency and economy it is adopted"
The company's statistical depart
ment shows that 4,5OO,OOO calls day
are registered in Greater New York.
On the basis that each call requires
the repetition of number at least
twice-once by the subscriber and
once by the operator-it was esti-
mated that about 100000 vocal calls
will be saved daily by the silent me-
chanical device.
"In addition there will be a couple
of million of unnecessary words saved
by those who are in the habit of
throwing in q little conversation, or
n complaint with each CALL" said an
official.