Connecticut western news., 1922-03-02
STATE RANKS HIGH IN
 NUMBER OF PHONE CALLS
Nearly Three Millions Con- versations During
 Last Year

This state is one of the greatest little conversational centers in these great and glorious United States. That statement is made to. contradict the British critic of American man. ners and customs who recently said that Connecticut folks are reserved, taciturn, dull conversationalists. He was all wrong, and the annual report of The Southern New England Tele- phone Company, just received, proves it.
 For instance, there were 274,829,- 900 telephone conversations, includ- ing toll calls, in Connecticut during 1921 which, as a fiippant person migth say, is some talk via the tele- phone. Certainly these figures fail to support the thought that Connec- ticut is reserved, vocally suppress ed commonwealth.
 The telephones in this state were used, on the average, 753,000 times daily in 1921. No indication there | of vocal trouble in our merry midst. | Reducing our conversational pow CTS to mere simple figures let us say that there were 31,375 telephonic conversations every hour, or 523 conversations every minute in every hour of every day in the year 1921. On the basis of these figures Nutmeg folks talk night and day at the same rate, but are known to be cautious in what they say in their sleep.
 The number of telephone conter- ~>Ianzo ,,n mind, based on actual and accurate traffic counts made by the telephone company. >.
 The company has also figured the average length of time of a telephone conversation. It is 78 seconds, on a local call, with which the following statements will deal.
 By test it has been shown that two normal male persons will use 135 words in 78 seconds. The number of words a woman might use in the same time is left out of the reckoning.
 There were, to repeat, 274,829, ,000 telephone conversations in Connec- ticut last year and with ,135 words spoken in the average 78 second conversation, there were no less than 37,101, ,780,000 words sent speeding on their coppery telephonic way in our state in one year. Which re- flutes the statement that Connecticut folks use their words sparsely and with care, as if they were hard to get and of some value.
 Some of the millions of telephone calls were, not answered, you say? ] Surely. But the number not an- swered is so small as to be negligible and trying to figure them into this account of Connecticut's conversa- tional abilities would make this story prolix and bit involved.
 Telephone records show, too, that the average lapse of time between the lifting of a receiver and the Number, please, of the operator, is five seconds. Anyone is at liberty to make his own test as to the accur- scy of this statement on any 20 or k25 calls.
 To answer 753,000 calls a day, within five seconds after each call is signalled, indicates that telephone op- orators have no time while on the job to crochet or read novels. Answer And as for that old wheeze about chewing gum, why gum is abso- lutely barred.
 If telephone operators listened in", which they have neither the time nor the inclination to do, the billions of words that would whack against their ear drums would land them in an asylum in less than two weeks. Instead of being subjects for the psycophatic ward they are sharp witted, versatile resourceful young women, working hard every day and giving service of inestimable> value to the community at large, and giving it cheerfully and politely, despite the fact that they are the defenseless marks for the fiery tempers of some ill natured men and women.