Smyrna times., 1933-09-20
SIDE LIGHTS OF
NEW YORK CITY
Told BY L. L. Stevenson in
His Own Immical Way
of Doings in City
INTERESTING SKETCHES

1t seems as If it were only yes.
terday when a group of officials, en-.
gineers, prominent citizens, news
paper men and others, gathered at
195 Broadway, to witness the be.
ginning of voice communication
over the Atlantic. Nevertheless
transatlantic telephone converse
tions now are merely a part of
business and social routine. For
many, picking up telephone and
calling London is no more than
picking up receiver and calling
Newark. The cost is much greater,
true. But there are some to whom
even that makes no difference. For
instance, there was the moving pic
fure queen who had beau In Lon
don. She called him up from Hol-
lywood frequently and not only
talked with him at length, but held
her pet dog to the transmitter so
that her friend in London could hear
the animal bark. And a dog bark
ing at $40 a minute is something.
Then there was that boy In Lon
don who received a mail order cata-
logue from a Chicago house. In it
was listed a rifle that cost S3.75,
which interested him very much
so much indeed that he picked up
the telephone and talked with the
mail order house about the S3.75
rifle in a SIS call. Naturally, the
telephone company endeavored to
collect. The boys parents, In mod
crate circumstances, set up the
claim that a minor had made the
call without authority; therefore,
there was no responsibility. In the
end, the company accepted the few
shillings the lad had in the bank
as a settlement in full.
1t costs $50 to telephone to Lon
don from New York. But 1t Is con
siderably cheaper to telephone from
is that when the contract was made
between the American Telegraph
and Telephone and the British post
Office, which operates the English
wires, the value of the pound was
fixed at S.. Thus, the rate for
a three-minute conversation was
and still is-six pounds. But at the
present rate of exchange, six pounds
amount to around $24. So wise
Americans save S5 or so by cabling
TO London and having the call orig
mate from there. But transatlantic
telephone charges can't be reversed,
the British refusing to countenance
such a practice. And some one
gave as the reason that London is
so close to Scotland.
Just a line or so before leaving
the subject OF transatlantic tele-
phone. The best patron is said
TO be James ]. Walker, former
mayor of New York, vino is jour
neying in Europe but who likes to
keep in touch with the city where
he was once looked on as a hero.
OF course that tire would go fiat
in a part Of the city where there
wasn't a garage within blocks and
the rain was falling hard. But
finally a small place was discovered
and the mechanic in charge said
he'd grab his tools and 90 up and
fix the fiat. A burly man with a
jutting jaw and a hard face, he
didn't seem like one to be chosen
for a stroll up dark alley. When
ne had gathered his tools, he
stopped. Sweetheart will be awful
lonesome If / leave her here alone"
he said. Mind If take her along?"
There wasn't any remonstrance at
all. so he whistled and little yel-
low dog Of very uncertain ances-
try leaped into his arms.
On the way to the car he kept
the dog dry with his coat, and be
fore starting to work, placed Sweet
heart inside. Il think lot Of that
pup" he explained. "Once I had
fifty grand. Lost it in four min
utes in the market crash. Now
I'm pretty well down-don't aver
age ten hours sleep a week because
i have to work all the time to get
by. A lot Of my friends've passed
me up. But Sweetheart amt, so
I've got one pal left, anyway"
C. 1888. Bell syndicate.-wNU Service.