The Washington times., 1920-10-16
NUMBER, PLEASE,
TO Be ELIMINATED
Under Dial System, Being In
stalled, New Workers. May
Call Party Direct.

NEW YORK. Oct. decentralization
OF the qisl system by which connec-
lions on all or New York's SOS 900
telephones will be made mechanically
and without the Intervention OF the
operators familiar Number, plesseg"
has already been begun in three ex-
changes
], ). McCulloh, vice president OF the
New York Telephone Company. ssio
Wednesday the new system would be
in operation In the Pennsylvania, the
Academy and Lispenard exchanges
by next spring The Pennsylvania
would have 5000 telephones, the
B Academy 6.70O and the Lispenard,
which would take care OF the over
now from the Canal exchange, would
begin with 2.S00 telephones.
At frst 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 sup
planted.
SIMPLE FOR PUBLIC.
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 call
ing a number would merely have TO
turn the dial to register the desired
number and the connection would be
made mechanically But for the com
PAM Mr.. McCulloh explained, the
adoption of the latest method would
mean a complete transformation or
their mechanical equipment.
THE dial system will be put into
operation so gradually that the public
will become used to IL by degrees,
he said. Business will not be inter
fered with in the slightest. BY next
fall the Pennsylvania exchange Will
nave a total of $500 lines. There Will
be a st. Nicholas exchange with 5000,
n jerome exchange with 5000 and
exchange with 5000.
The two latter will be In the Bronx.
Booth telephones will be the last al
fected by the change.
'I wish II 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 big
ger than the one in use in the whole
of England, including London, and
many times latger than that of Paris.
is growing by leaps and bounds. No
one can conjecture how large 1t will
be in ten or twelve years. which is
about the time we estimate it will
take to put our present plans into
execution.
FULLY TESTED OUT.
THE introduction of the dial sys-
tenn Is not an experiment. Every new
scheme for improving the service is
thoroughly tested by the engineering
department OF the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company. II
the scheme proves good from the
standpoint of efficiency and economy
1t is adopted"
The company's statistical depart
ment shows that 100000 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 estima-
ted that about 100000 vocal calls
NIin be saved daily by the silent me-
chanical device.
I'm addition, there will be a couple
of million Of unnecessary words saved
by those who are in the habit of
throwing in a little conversation, or
complaint with each CALL" said an
official.