The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-06-01
Frederic Haslkin's Letter
Passing Of the Hello Girl.

NOT tuTOW inc te1epuOne girls out Of
employment a. was predicted bv
some. The regiment Of girls needed
to make connections by the manuals
system is not wanted for that Dur.
pose with an automatic switch,
board, It Ii true. But there is still
much central Office work, especially
repairs. Despite the fact that girls
are not generally SO adept at un-
electrical apparatus as
boys are. the telephone companies
ind that the girls are more satis.
factory in making delicate adjust
ments. The girl repairer has pa.
tience and fineness of touch which
il more necessary for routine re-.
pair work than . thorough knowl.
edge Of the workings of a dynamo
The repair work Is absorbing
some Of the girls. Others will be-
needed still to record toll calls aud
supply information. There will "a
few, il any. girls actually dismiss
ed, for there have never been
enough operators available to keen
pace with the rapidly growing tele-
phone systems. Companies have al
ways had to take it for granted
that the average telephone operator
would get married in two or thres
years. During the war, the turn.
over was even 100 per cent in
single year. This meant, and still
means. . heavy overhead expense.
and telephone company schools per-
petually in session to train new.
corners.
A Provocative OF Kicks.
The phone girl shortage has al
ways lowered over the companies
and they are glad to be rid Of that
worry when possible. 1t must also
be rather pleasant for a company
to feel that the subscriber can no
longer blame central for delays AMI
mistaken numbers. The dial on
which the numbers are registered
is before the caller and no one
touches it but himself. The signal
that the line is busy is also q d.
rect response from the number call
ed, and central cannot be suspected
Of loafing on the Job.
Another difference in the direct
contact phone is that there is no
chance Of central listening in. We
have often been assured that the
switchboard operator is as imper-
sonal in her attitude toward our
conversations as she is toward us.
that she never repeats anything
heard during business hours. This
no doubt is true. and most Of US
never think of centralS presence
when we talk over the phone. All
sorts Of diplomatic and military
matters were,discussed freely over
the telephone in Paris and WASH
ington during the war. and with
never a record of any indiscretion
on the part Of the operator. Still,
when affairs Of Importance and Sc.
crecy are involved, the telephone
undoubtedly becomes a more salts
! factory means Of communication
when the conversation is felt To be
strictly private.
In still another way, the self
service system claims an advau-
tage. Many people-foreigners
and people with defects Of speech
or hearing-have difficulty in max
ling themselves understood over the
phone or in understanding central's
answers. Friends are used to Pc
culiarities Of voice and make spe-
cial effort themselves to sneak Dis
tinctly. The troubles of this type
of phone user come largely in get
ting connected Central has no way
of knowing that Aunt Katie finds it
hard to catch the endings of words
or that lisping Mr.. Smith is not
merely trying to be fAcetious. When
the caller makes his own connec-
ton this part Of the call Is sim3!i-
fed.