The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-03-26

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At the recent joint meeting of
the North End Lions Club of De-
troit with the Wyandotte club at
the Wabeek Tea Room, Mr.. Paul
Griffith, Chief Report Supervisor
Of the Accounting Department Of
Michigan Bell Telephone company,
spoke on the accomplishments Of
the company prior to and during
World War II, and on postwar
plans.
The number of telephone stations
In the Michigan territory have been
increased from 724,00O in 1899 to
1.i25,O0O. The relative increase has
been double this gain in Wyandotte.
In 1910, s20,000,00O worth of new
facilities were provided, 5000 900
in 1s41, and s13.O0O,OO0 to mid
let2, when the expansion program
was terminated on account of mill
tary needs. However, $1,000 old
fashioned desk sets have been re-
conditioned since the middle of
1912.
Western Electric company manu-
features the equipment for Bell
Telephone company, the production
Of which for the government
amounted in value to $3.5O0,OOO in
1910. Sal 100000 in le4l, and $780,
600 900 in 1914, the total for the five
years from 1910 to 1s45 being ST.
TOO, 900 900. Nearly one-third of the
requirements of the armed forces
for electronic devices has been man.
ufactured by Western Electric. In
formation on many of the electro
mic devices iS restricted, but one
gadget which Mr.. Griffith felt at
liberty to discuss is the anti.aircraft
electrical gun director, one OF many
developments Of the Bell Telephone
Laboratories.
The anti-aircraft electrical gun
director locates the plane, estimates
Its speed and direction, where the
plane will be a given number Of
seconds later, the speed and direc-
ton Of the wind, the density Of
the air and the pull Of gravity. The
director employs over 100 vacuum
tubes and solves the above prob
lens in fifteen seconds. a job re-
curing trained mathematicians five
hours, The services Of more than
400 laboratory engineers were en-
ployed for a period Of several
months to put the machine in oper-
alton.
The efficiency Of the gun direc-
tor can be appreciated from the
TACT that through its use SO Shells
recently brought down II planes,
contrasted with the one hit scored
for every 1900 shells fired during
the last war. AS another example,
Mr.. Griffith mentioned l43 buzz
bombs directed one day against
London. Sixty-five were exploded in
the air by the directed anti-air-
craft guns and 80 by the Raj.
Seventeen crashed In outlying dis
trictS and only % got through to
London.
MIR. Griffith pointed out that il
will take some time after the war
to handle the $4,000 untitled orders
for telephones In the Michigan ter
ritory. Several million hand-solder-
ed connections must be made at
every new central office. There are
no central office difficulties In wy
andotte, but some $50 outside ca
bles are required in order TO take
care OF the thousand untitled or
ders. Mr.. Griffith estimated that
two years would be needed to at
tain peacetime standards of sery-
ice.
Postwar plans include a $780,
100000 construction program, $50
100000 of which will be spent on IS
new buildings, additions and hous-
Ing for equipment. The conversion
OF the remaining 10 per cent of the
telephones TO the dial rystem in
wolves 175,0O0 stations. Included in
the program are increased facili-
ties for superimposing q number Of
telephone conversations on the same
pair of wires. This is accomplished
by changing the voice frequencies
TO another level, thus creating an
electrical ramp. In this manner as
many as IL separate conversations
may be conducted at once on one
pair Of wires. In 1912 the effective
length Of telephone lines was in
creased two million miles by this
method without the use of copper
wire.
The program for March % is be-
ing furnished by the Calvert Dis
tilleries. 1t Ia improbable that sam