The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-30
DISTRICT To GET
AUTOMATIC
PHONES
installation OF Disk lnstru-
ments to Begin Within Three
Years, Says Company.

phone exchanges in Washington
is to begin within the next three
years and will continue until the
entire local telephone system has
been provided with automatic
equipment, according to state
ment made today by Earl God
win, assistant to the president of
the Chesapeake and Potomac
Telephone Company.
Begin ON FIRST Unit.
Planse are now being completed
for the installation Of the first
unit of the automatic system, it is
said. There is, however, an enor-
NOUS amount of detail work to be
completed before the exchange can
be provided. A corps of engineer.
| ing experts are at work preparing
for the installation Of the ex.
change, however, Goodwin said.
Washington will be given it's
first taste of the new system, it is
explained. when new exchange ID
installed. The entire section served
by this new exchange will be pro-
vided with the automatic equip.
ment at one time. From that point
! onward the use of the automatic
Operator" will be gradually spread.
Each new exchange installed will
be entirely automatic in its equip.
ment. The older exchanges, man.
ually equipped. which are now in
operation, will gradually be re-
placed by the automatic boards.
The change, it is pointed out,
will be made gradually and will
extend over period of many
years. The change will at first
not be evident to local telephone
users except in the new sections
of the city which will be served by
| the first Of the automatic ex-
| changes.
Operators To Be Retained.
In the present exchanges, which
are manuallyi equipped, the change
will not be evident to subscribers
| for number of years.
In no event will there be any dis
charge of telephone operators now
employed in Washington through
the installation of the automatic
| units, Goodwin declared. The work
of the Information services. super.
visory work over the automatic
equipment. and the entire opera
ton of the long-distance systems
will require the services of op.
orators in large numbers.
The use of the automatic ex.
change is not an innovation in tele-
phone history. A number OF smaller
cities have been equipped for years
with automatic exchanges. A nota'
BILE example is found in the case of
Norfolk, Va, where the automatic
system Is in very successful OPP
Grafton, Mr. Goodwin explained.
Many of the young western cities
have had the automatic service
/ from the beginning.
| In Washington there is a notable
example Of the automatic exchange
in the Postoffice Department build
ling on Pennsylvania avenue. This
department has used the automatic
Equipment for interoffice work for
many years with entire success. So
successful is the system there that
| the entire postal telephone system
one of the largest private exchanges
in the city, can be handled by two
operators, who are called upon to
plug in the incoming calls from
outside the department. All service
within the building is automatic.
Here's How 1t Works.
The automatic equipment makes
| it incumbent upon the user to Sc.
cure his own connections. He il
| then responsible for his own mis-.
takes. The only difference in the
physical appearance of the tele-
phone in the subscribers home or
office is the addition of q small
dial, which will bear the various
exchange names and the figures.
from zero to 9. A metal disk lie
placed above this dial, with fin.
ger hole above each name and fig
ure. In calling number, such as
main $3.50" the subscriber would
first put his finger in the Main"
hole and turn the disk until his
finger came in contact with stop.
| He would then withdraw his FIN.
hole, would turn that to the stop
The "2" hole would follow and SO
on until the number had been com
pleted. The entire operation, II
| is claimed. can be completed in far
less time than is necessary in max.
ing the present call.
The operation of the device at
the exchange end, however, is far
removed from the simplicity which
| c1aracterizes the subscribers end
The automatic exchange is said to
be the most complicated looking de
vice in common use today. Ite
opera ton is scarcely less complicated
than it's appearance.
| In theory, the various numbers or
the dial have certain number OF
! Clicks" which regulate the amount
Of current sent through the wire
| The figure 5, for example, would pro
duce five clicks, which would move
a contact point on rod in the ex
change and make a certain definite
contact between two sets of wires al
the exchange. The two would move
a similar point on an adjacent rod
When the call has been completed
all of the necessary contacts will
have been made to ring the bell a
the desired telephone, and, of course
10 complete the circuit between the
two phones. The call completed, the
receivers are placed on the hooks al
| unuSaI and the contacts are broken
the contact points returning to the
neutral position to await the next
call.
The psychological effect on the
user of the automatic system, after
he has become accustomed to the
present manual system, is said tc
he decidedly noticeable. The entire
operation becomes as coldly meChan
ical as the operation of penny slot
| Trho cheerf1Il voice If the onerato,