The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-12-25
NOVICES I'm
GAME MUST
PASS TEST
Lunch and Rest Rooms
Make Her Task at
SWitchboards Most
Pleasant.


and her place filled with some ono
else.
The information department IL Q
little hustling world to itself. Here
about twenty young women sur
rounded by big volumes cor tain-
ing information pertaining to their
duties. are hustling about with an
activity that makes a honey bee
look like a loafer. These are tho
young women who are on the Job
when you fretfully call up to find
out what is the number Of go and
so at such and such q number
These are the girls you scold be
cause they won't give you Senator
IS private number that is n0l IN
the book.
Once upon q time you used TO
worry these young women by asking
what time 1t was. where the fire
was, what was the baseball score
and what was the best way to make
chicken pie. 1t was too much for
her; and when the management saw
members of it's Information force
becoming gray-haired around the
age of eighteen and nineteen years,
they became alarmed and decided
that the fond mother who wanted
to know what was good for baby's
collie must get her information from,
other sources. Now Information
will only answer on the subjects
connected with her job.
Calls between different Govern
ment departments are handled by
two young women on q board which
is devoted to that purpose and moth
ing else. The girls. in charge of
this board. are the pick of the COM
pany's force and they have to be-
The number Of calls going back and
forth between the different depart
ments run up in the thousands each
day, and the operators making the
connections must be very rapid and
very efficient.
PAY ROLLS ARE ENORMOUS.
What a mighty part the telephone
girl plays in the affairs of the tele-
phone company can be realized
when 1t is understood that one-third
OF the vast amount spent by 1t each
year goes for the operators salary
and expenses in making her prof.
Gent in that line Of work. No money
is spared and nothing is overlooked
in developing the green girl into q
good worker. The work is made as
agreeable as 1t possibly can be under
the circumstances.
Comfortable rest rooms arc pro
vided. The medical department, pre-
sided over by skilled physicians,
looks after her health and watches
to see how she stands up under tho
work. At her first complaint tho
medical workers are called for. The
girl is examined, and II tho ailment
il found to be not Of q serious M
ture she is attended to by those In
charge. A record IL kept Of her
cases and she receives excellent care
and attention until the last vestigs
Of her illness has disappeared.
II her illness is serious she II
sent home and receives her weekly
salary during the course Of her
illness. Just the same a. II she
was working on the board. This is
made possible by a sort Of benefit
club arrangement that exists among
tho telephone operators.
OWN THEIR LUNCH ROOMS.
Tho company has also established
lunch rooms. where the girls may
bury their meals al cost price to the
company. During the war the tele-
phone company either bought or
leased several large buildings in
Washington and converted them into
modern hotels.
These were used to house and
feed the largo number Of girls who
came to Washington from all parts
Of the country. to take positions
with the telephone company. One
or two of them are still being main
tanned. but gradually the affairs OF
the telephone company are eetting
back to q normal state and III nann-
asement Is doing sway with ths
hotel end Of its sffatrs.
Washington il the osntsP q a.
United States, ana IN this oAty. -
haps moro than any othsr. tAs 49,.
phone company II endssvurfnG -
give its subscribers psr6sot ssrv1sas
1t accepts as pupils only the hisAss
type Of girls and, onos asosptsA. y
adonts everv rynAfhod to tur0 ~