The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-07-01
Telephone Calls Here Greatest in History
 40, 145 More Calls Daily Than in 1945; V-J Days Great Record Surpassed;
 Staff of Operators Increased

Waterbury people are making more telephone calls than ever be- fore. R. H. Pratt, manager for the telephone company, revealed today that the surge of traffic which taxed local switchboards and lines on the busiest war days, and which reached new peak on V-J Day, is now eX- ceeded on almost any business day. The telephone office here is already handling an average of 40,145 more calls each day than year ago, with local calls up 24 percent and out-of- town calls up 29 per cent.
 The increase in out-of-town call- ing is greater in Connecticut than in any other section of the country, except New York, while the speed of service on calls placed in Con- necticut is the fastest in the coun- try.
 MT. Pratt pointed out that be- cause the telephone company has been trying to give telephones to as many applicants as possible, reserve switchboards and central office equipment, normally sufficient to take care of peak calling, have been largely used up. In Waterbury, alone there has been net increase of B. 3l1 telephones in the past 12 months, far more than in any prev ious similar period. Such load has been placed on the switchboards that the equipment is being worked far beyond it's intended capacity.
 Equipment Limited
 Normally, telephone engineers plan equipment needs years in ad- vance. However, most of the equip ment during the past few years was diverted to war needs, and right now it can not be obtained fast enough to meet the unprecedented demands for service. Supplies of copper, lead, steel, cotton yarns and many other materials used in mak- ing telephone apparatus have been sharply curtailed
 In the last six months the com- pany has increased its operating force in Waterbury from 172 to 192 girls More operators will be added during the next six months so that an adequate force will be available when new sWitchboards can be ob- tained In addition, everything pos- sible is being done to help the op- orators by simplifying many pro- cAdures and eliminating others which will not seriousy affect serv- ice.
 MT. Pratt stated that telephone users are likely to encounter de- lays, especially from 9:30 A. M, to l2 noon when the lines are busiest. Dial tone ma ybe delayed little or the operator answer may not be as prompt as in the past, and at times all circuits to certain out-of- town points may be busy.
 In order to get the best possible service, the company suggests that telephone users make calls when the lines are least busy, before 9:30 A. M or during the afternoon, and give the operator time to report on out-of-toW calls. Calling the oper- ator back only adds to the conges- ton at the sWitchboards and slows up service.
 Other suggestions are: Be pa- tient if the operator does not say number please" quite as soon as usual; she will answer the signal as promptly as possible. On local calls, if you have a dial telephone, wait for the dial tone before you dial this is the signal that the equipment is ready to take your call. Consult the directory to find num- bers which are not known, since calls to information" require the services of another operator and take valuable time and circuits. Be especially careful to replace the telephone. after every call; leaving a telephone of the hook not only puts your own line out of use but your neighbor' s too if you are on party line out of use but your neighbor $ too if you are on party line and ties up central office equipment which might be handling other peoples calls, "