Evening star., 1952-11-28
Phone Numbers
Figures Dec. 6
New Setup Designed
To Aid Expansion
Of Service
By Hermon r. Schoden


Everybody in the Washington
area will take giant memory test
December 6. That's the day about
325,000 telephone numbers will
change to five figures instead Of
the present four-f1gure system ef-
fective on most lines.
Preparations have been under
way long time for the SWITCH
over, but it will require only the
plugging in Of a few lines to set
the machinery into operation at
am. December 6.
Many subscribers will have new
central office designations.
For example, present Shepherd
designations become Juniper after
December 6.
ST. $4,000 for Star.
Some phones will retain their
present central Office names and
numbers, with only an extra digit
added such as the Stars number.
which will be Sterling $4,000.
CNote: Please call ST. 5000 until
December 6 to save the people now
having ST. $500 from going nuts.)
Other phones will switch the
name designation, but keep the
present number with the addition
of another digit. Still others, in
the minority, will change COM
pletely.
The conversion isn't the product
of a sadistic mind or nightmare
1t was deemed necessary for two
reasons: ID the present system
is inadequate for further telephone
service expansion CO.. the new sys-
TEN is desirable for future inter-
city customer dialing.
Presently, it is possible to rig
up only about so feasible code
combinations. or different numer-
ical arrangements with the per-
missible number of central Office
names. The new system could
produce as many as 500 combina-
tions. Several million telephones,
more than the area probably will
ever need. can be dialed through
the system.
Baltimore Direct.
It won't be so long before WASH
1ngton subscribers can dial Bal
timore numbers direct, and even
tually self-service long distance
will extend to other cities.
The Bell System is preparing for
that day by gradual conversion to
the "2-5," or two-letter, 5-digitI
dialing which this area will have.
The uniformity will be helpful to
customers. and to long distance
operators, who handle calls.
Inter-city dialing is now done
frequently by operators. Several
of the Washington area central
office names. such as Michigan,
Alexandria,, FAILS Church and
Wisconsin were dropped because
of the confusion they create in
inter-city communication.
Other names were changed be-
cause they are hard to under
stand. The phone company was
surprised to learn that long dis
tance operators in other cities
heard ORdway as Audrey" and
broadway" On December 81
ORdway becomes Emerson.
Such cities as New York. Chi
cago, Cleveland. Pittsburgh, Phil
adelphia and Milwaukee, as we'll
as many smaller places. now have
the "2-5" type of dialing. l
No Surprise.
The longer numbers will not
be a complete surprise to Wash
ington, for since April, 1949, the
telephone company has been
gradually installing them. Now
there are about $4,000 "2-5"
phones in the area.
c. & P. has taken care to make
the changeover as painless as
possible. A year ago they sent
notices to all business firms that
the switch was coming. This gave
them an opportunity to plan their
advertising with telephone num-
bers accordingly-Such as painted
and electrical sign displays.
New directories containing all
new numbers are being distrib-
uted now. On the front inI
bright red are instructions not to
use it until after December 6.
At l am. that day, engineers
will do little juggling in 18 area
wire centers, and the new system
will go into effect as though by
magic.
Until then, c. & P. advises
Washingtonians not to use the new
numbers. They won't work any,
way, and will only produce
wrong numbers.
After the changeover, telephones
will not work on only six pulls"
of the dial. The company thinks
most people will quickly catch
on to the change and dial right.
But for those people who try
old numbers, and try six dial
pulls, there is an answer. It is
q recorded voice which will po-
litely refer the misguided soul
to his new directory.