The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-01-13
INEFFICIENCY DUE
TO SCARCITY Of
HELLO GIRLS
Operators Are 0verWorked,
investigator Finds - The
Service Is Slow Because of
This Deficiency.

Lack OF enough operators 10 handle
the swttehboards and the consequent
oYerioading Of the operators availabla
y apparently the chief reason that the
local Cumberland Telephone and Tele-
graph company is not giving efficient
service, according TO Information se-
cured from ], n, Cadby, OF Madison.
Wis, the telephone engineer who -
Investigating the service on behalf of
the Chamber OF Commerce law commits
tee.
During an inspection Of the SWITCH
board room in the downtown exchange
Of the telephone company, Mr.. Cadby
observed that one girl would he serving
from II to 10 plugs on the switchboard
Whlie efficiency tests have established
mat 10 10 Is about all that can be
served with speed and accuracy for any
considerable time.
This condition is chiefly reflected III
the service, according to tests made
b% Mr. Cadby in the slowness with
which connections are secured Ia rnak~
ing about GO test calls from both resi-
dence and busines houses In number
o. different locations. Mr. Cadby found
that slowness was the chief fault In
the service. Wrong numbers given
among these 60 calls did not exceed the
average, The investigator also expert
ohGed some trouble with disconnected
calls. but he stated in fairness TO the
telephone company. that the operators
IN private exchanges were probably re-
sponslble for some OF these dIsconnec.
tious
Concerning this latter fault, Mr.. Cad
oy expressed the opinion that II would
pe a good thing IL classes were cor4
Quoted by the telephone company or
me business organizations jointly, to
train better private operators, such as
those who serve In many large business
houses and hotels. This, he said, would
contribute TO the general Improvement
OF the service
The telephone company management
protests that every effort Is being made
70 recruit It's corps OF operators up to
the proper number and they have been
making some Improvement In this In
the psst few days Mr.. Cadby has OBJ
served. But IL seems TO be very diff
cult to get enough young women OF the
requisite good health. good eyesight,
nearing and general intelligence. II IL
necessary, too, that the novice, no mat
ter how good her native equipment.
must undergo course Of training IN
80 days or more before she can take
her shift at the switchboard. Then Ii
may be some time before she becomes
as adent rs necessary
But the Chamber OF Commerce law
committee, which is headed by w. II.
Armstrong. the new city attorney, IA
not satisfied that the telephone com
pany Is making every possible effort 10
secure the operators needed. Upon
the suppOsition that the company may
not be offering wages sufficient to at
tract adequately equipped young women
TO the service, investigation is being
made OF the wages OF young women
clerks In the department stores. ste
nographers. bookkeepers and other
young women employed. Wages OBJ
tanned by young women in these other
lines VIII be compared with the wages
paid by the telephone company
Mr., Cadby stated Tuesday morning
that the telephone company Is cooper
ating with him in his investigations
very generously. giving him every OPP
portunity to inspect their exchanges
and furnishing whatever data he re,
quests The company does not deny
he said, that the service is under par
but pleads inability to correct II be
cause OF the impossiblity TO gettinI
enough trained operators, The compa
ny has enough switchboard equipment
10 serve the city OF Memphis efficiently
he said
The investigator was very conserva
tive and guarded in all statements con
cerning his Investigations. In talking.
to The News Scimitar he said that he
did not want to be put in the attitude
Of making his report to the newspae
pers instead Of 10 the committee which
retained him. He asked that hts state
ments be handled conseryatively and
he not be put in the light OF seeker
after publicity.
Mr.. Cadby enjoys wide experience
in telephone matters. He served for TO
years for the Wisconsin railroad com
mission as head of their service de-
partment and directed Investigations OF
telephone, gas and light service
throughout the state for that length OF
time