The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-05-16

Company to Install Special Ex-
change to Handle 10000
Extra Calls Daily.

| One OF the greatest emergency
telephone programs ever worked
out in an American city is being
completed in Washington in prep
aration for the coming Shrine
session next month.
Separate System Planned.
The program involves the install
lation of a separate telephone sys-
tenn equal to that in any city of
100000 population, with a special
switchboard and an additional force
OF 300 or more operators.
Two special thirty place switch
boards already have been installed
by the Chesapeake and Potomac
Telephone Company, under direction
of Burdett Stryker, chairman Of the
Shrine committee on telegraph, tele.
phone and mail. This central ex-
change will be known as Shrine"
and will be in operation for a pc
Rod Of ten days to two'weeks before,
during and after the Shrine session
proper.
The Shrine central will combine
the widespread Shrine headquarters
and centers of information AMI activ-
ity. For several months telephone
experts have been working oIt the
| plans and training the Shrine switch
board personnel.
A special information" switch
board will be operated in connGc ION
with the Shrine exchange, Ind will
furnish all possible information, in
Guiding location Of temples, head
quarters of temples, patrol head
quarters, parade details. special
events, and general information
about Washington and it's buildings,
car lines and other transportation
| facilities
Persons wishing to communicate
with any particular visiting Shriner
need only call Shrine" and ask for
the registration bureau, where he
will be given the mans Washington
address and telephone number and
the location and telephones number
'of his temples headquarters, or of
the patrol or other uniformed body
to which he may belong.
Booths at Station.
At Union Station a large number
Of special booths, including ten on
the concourse, will have direct con-
nection with the Shrine exchange,
so that. incoming Shriners can locate
their" friends or their own addresses
before leaving the station.
The housing committee in the
Homer building will have a large
number of lines to the Shrine ex-
change for incoming calls, and also
will be connected to the regular
telephone system for outgoing calls.
Every hotel switchboard will be
connected to Shrine, saving the
routing of hundreds of thousands
of calls through the regular ex.
changes. WhcS'ever a temple will
have headquarters there will he
connections with the Shrine ex.
change.
There will be Shrine telephones
at all of the fourteen Pullman car
parking spaces for outgoing calls
Shrine and pay exchanges will be
installed at automobile camps.
All calls for Shrine" will he
free Of charge, even though made
over pay station phones, the com.
pany announces.
Along the route of the narades
on Pennsylvania avenue, there will
be special booths at frequent inter
walls. with representatives of the
citizens committee in charge.
100000 Daily Calls Expected.
While there is no way Of ac-
| CuTdlely IOTeCaSt!ng the increase in
telephone traffic, telephone Of
ficials estimate that the calls will
mount to as high as 500, 900 a dav
as compared with about 400 900 in
normal times.
The Washington public will he
asked to limit. as far as possible
their telephone calls during Shrine
week, so that every attention and
courtesy may be given the city's
| guests
ARRANGEMENTS for curbing the &C.
tivittes of confidence men. flv.bv-
night dealers, professional gamblers,
blue sky stock statesmen, and other
| convention followers are being ner-
fected by the Better Business
| Bureau.
The shriners are coming to
Washington as the city's guests"
| the bureau declares. Washing
tonians have the earnest desire to
supply them entertainment fairly
and at moderate cost, so that in
| d1Vldually and collectively the fra
| ternal delegates will again welcome
| an opportunity to visit the Capital
City.
Therefore. it is the dutv of
washington business interests and
INDIVIDUALS to cooperate with the
Better Business Bureau and the DO
lice authorities in an endeavor to
prevent INSCRIPTIONS persons in
any attempts at fraud or n1isrepre.
sentation."