Evening star., 1925-11-23

Lord. I could go out and buy
clock by this time"
II will try the Naval Observatory
was all Mrs. Jones said
Calmly, the wife of the man up
stairs fingered the telephone book.
National-National- she
read on, through the list of National
this and National that.
All, here it was-Naval Observa'
tory, Thirty-fourth and Massachusetts
avenue northwest, West 1894.
For the fourth time Mrs. Jones
raised the receiver from the hook.
Central" she pleaded, with infinite
dignity, give me West 1854"
Br-r-r-r-r, Br-r-r-rr.
Hello, Naval Observatory"
'Is this the Naval observatory
Yes, this is the Naval Observa-
tory"
Can you tell me the correct time?"
"9:O1 pm" answered the voice.
Thank your
Hanging up the telephone, Mrs.
Jones triumphantly faced the stair
way.
1T is exactly l minute after 9
o'clock" she announced.
Il thought my watch was SLOW"
unused Jones, above stairs. 1T GER
tainly took you long enough to find
out"
We'll, suppose you come down and
try it."
Templeton Jones, with the correct
time in his pocket, was pleasantly eX-
pansive, when he arrived in the living
room.
Have you ever noticed" he asked
his wife, how big firms tend to cut
down on privileges when they become
hugely successful?
Here is this thing of telling the
time when a subscriber wants to
know it, The Telephone Company
cannot possibly know what exigency
exists when a man calls up to know
the exact time.
II remember the time when they
always told you just what time it
was, and they were glad to do il, too.
With the growth of the service, of
course. perhaps it did take too much
time. And yet it seems to me that it
was a small service.
1T seems to me it would have been
far easier for Central To have told the
correct time at once than 10 make you
go through four operations, and use
the time of Central, Information,
Western Union and the Naval Observ-
atOry. when any person in that chain
could have simply stated the exact
time, and that would have ended it
You see the same thing every
where. once upon time. and not so
long ago at that, banks were glad to
get small accounts. No account too
small, they advertised. But now
most Of them charge a 50-Cent service
fee if your account drops as much as
a penny beneath 500 any time dur
ing the month.
why, a man told me the other
day about his son who went to war
with a small account in one of the
banks, and when he came back, the
so cents a month charge every month
had eaten il all up. The father of the
young man finally did make the Off
CialS see the injustice of calmly taking
away the mans earnings while he was
away at the front fighting for bankers
and the rest OF US.
In some of the drug stores, too.
they have taken away the little tables
and seats, where one could sit down
and drink a soda in peace, and now
force customers to stand at the fOun-
tain. Some even have withdrawn
StraWs from the counter. In some
you have 10 play the part of clerk
Yourself by rushing madly around
getting soda checks at one counter
ana soda at another.
I'm the old days. too" concluded
Templelon Jones. the letter carriers
waited at your door. but now they
crease your beautiful and expensive
magazine through the middle and
cram It through door slot"