Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1921-05-28
President Sunny OF Illinois
Bell Explains New
High Record

u
Here is something which has
more moves to it than game OF
checkers or chess.
During the month of April the
Chicago organization of the Illinois
Bell Telephone Company moved
27,100 telephones. Two-thirds of
these moves were completed in the
last fifteen days of the month.
In the first half of May 4O,700
orders were omp ct e d. Ih1s
means that in the month Of April,
in the Chicago district, the Tele-
phone Company installed, moved,
or took out four telephones a min
ute; one every fifteen seconds.
During the first half of May, this
rate was raised to the almost in
credible speed of completing an
order for telephone service every
ten seconds, nine hours a day.
3B. E. Sunny, President of the
Illinois Bell Telephone Company,
included the above in a talk before
the Electric Club of Chicago. Mr..
Sunny went into all phases of the
telephone industry. Part Of what
he said follows:
Telephone service necessarily
depends upon coordination, coop
Grafton and the highest type of
team work, not only by the tele-
phone employees but the subscrib-
ers and their employees. There
are other lines Of business. Of
course, where these factors are i'm
portant, but / doubt if as much so
as with the telephone. .----
= II you have an electric light on
your table, it does not impair its
value to you if no one else has one.
If you have gas in the kitchen
range TO cook your breakfast, it
does not affect you if no one else
has it. ~
If, however, you have a tele-
phone, it is of no use to you what
ever unless your neighbors are
similarly equipped and its value to
you depends upon the Telephone
Company's employees and the list
Of people with whom you can talk.
That part of the telephone serv-
ice in which the layman has the
largest interest is with relation to
the traffic. He is in contact with
the telephone operators at his office
and at his home, and he has more
or less curiosity to know how the
business is conducted.
"In Chicago, in 1920, we required
about 5000 operators and we were
short of that number throughout
the year from 600 to 1900 We los
the equivalent of $500 operator:
through resignation and dismissaly
during the year. This does no
mean that $500 operators that WI
started with at the first of the yea
out Of the 5000 dropped out of tn,
service. About 1900 or 90 per cent
remained throughout the year, am
the losses were largely of operator
who remained only one or tw'
months.
"To fill the vacancies, we EN-
ployed and trained 4,250 operators
and we re-employed $3.50 ex-opera
tors who needed little or no train
ing. There were 1,150 additions
applicants who passed the examin
alton and started in the school, Blu
who were dropped or who resigne
before finishing the training course
1--WE are required by circum
stances to be a very exacting EN-
ployer, but at the same time it
our constant purpose to be yer
square employer.
"In April there were $4,000
local calls, and our observation
indicated that $3.50 were answere
within ten seconds and $3.50 of tn
connections that could be complete
were completed without error. TIE
million calls failed because of tn
busy signal; seventy-fve per GER
are party lines, ETC.; on six millio
calls the second party did nc
answer or the call was abandone
by the first party before the secon
party did answer"
Mr.. Sunny went into detail t
explain the handling of long-di:
lance telephone calls, telling {
many new devices and method
which have been perfected to r,
duce the delay in completing Ions
distance connections and improvin
transmission.
49,
Judge Francis S. Wilson has ma
a good record on the Circuit ben
He deserves reelection. The Jut