Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-29
Why They're Unlisted

Why hey re Unlisted
The Stars story on unlisted
phones rang the wrong bell
with me. It is unfortunate
your writer couldn't reach
some Of the $1,000 unlisted
"would-be VIPs" and find out
why we have unlisted phones.
An average day, before I
thought / became important,
would bring about 10 tele-
phone solicitations--real es-
tate. cemetery lots. storm
windows, health insurance,
encyclopedias, photogra-
pliers, donations to groups I
had never heard Of, etc. Since
my phone has been unlisted,
it is truly a VIP-Very In
proved Phone.
Helen w. Blachly.
\ 4 4 +
Your reporter who wrote
"Would-be VIP's Eager for
Unlisted Phones" should have
looked a little deeper before
he implied that snobbishness
was behind the desire for ur1-
listed phones.
In our area women have
been terrified by obscene
phone calls while their hus-
bands were at work. Is this
not good and sufficient rea-
son for seeking an unlisted
number? l know that the
phone companies try to CO.
operate in cases like this,
but there Is little they can do.
But the most fragrant in
vasion Of the privacy Of the
home is the telephone sales
solicitation racket.
I am for eliminating the
white pages Of the telephone
directory entirely and the
publication of the yellow
pages only. Why do people
have to refer to a directory
for a friends phone number
any more than they do for
his address? People would
soon get used to providing
their phone numbers to
those who have any right
to have them. And phone
companies would soon cease
to be bothered with requests
for these numbers If the
stock reply to such q request
was always Sorry, we do
not have that information"
BY eliminating the pub
LEGATION of the white direc-
tory pages, phone companies
could save an enormous
amount of money and pass
some of the saving on to
home subscribers in the form
Of reduced rates. Why should
my phone number be public
property? r. b. J.
4 y 4 4
It is impossible to under
stand why The Star pub
lished that asinine article
"Would-be VIPs Eager for
Unlisted Phones.
There are probably many
who might desire some pri-
vacy either for personal or
family i'll health, requiring
no disturbance during the
night when asleep. / happen
to be one of those. Personally
I don't give a boot. as I
sleep we'll, but my wife, who
recently died after a long i'll
ness, was a light sleeper
and needed only one stupid
phone call at night to insure
being wide awake the bal
ance of the night. I don't
suppose your writer ever
thought of that. J. r. HeIlweg,
Commodore U. S. Navy
(Ret.l.
Commenting on Andrew
w. Bingham's article on un-
listed telephones, it wouldn't
take much for me to unlist
mine, not because I am a VIP
but because / get so many
unnecessary calls.
Hardly a day passes but
what / am running to the
phone on q fools errand:
Somebody wants me to solicit
my block for donations for
some drive; q real estate
agent has a buyer for a house
like mine; I am the lucky
winner of a lot, or q free
dance lesson, or q portrait;
somebody else has a give
away for just a little of my
time; others have something
to sell, not to mention the
wrong numbers $50 exasper-
ating when the same person
calls back the second time
within q few minutes).
/ want my friends to call
and I don't object to legiti-
mate business calls, but I
don't want to be bothered
otherwise. I am sure there
are others who feel the same
way. Is there any solution
to this problem?
Doris NJ. Curran.