Telephone Antics At Whakatane Connects All And Sundry

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 29, 3 May 1950, Page 5

Telephone Antics At Whakatane Connects All And Sundry

It happened yesterday. The telephones at Whakatane were up to their old tricks again. One resident in the borough was connected through to the Beacon talking to the news department when the conversation was interrupted by a vicious prolonged buzzing, which nearly snapped eardrums. This was followed by a female voice demanding “central”. She was told the line \ as working. She hung up. Again came the buzzing. Female veice: Working, working? Male voice: Working thanks. Sound of receiver being hung up. Male voices continued conversation.

Buzzing. Female voice: Working? Male voice: Yes, working.

Female voice: You are on our line. Male: Who? Female: You. Male: No I’m not. I’m connected with the Beacon. Who are you? Female: Rangitaiki Factory. I want central.

Male: How did you get here?

Female: Don’t know. I want the exchange and I can only get you.

Male: You must have been connected through by mistake. Anyway how is the cream out there? Female: Pretty good. 'But tell me how I can get the exchange? Second male voice: I know. Let’s all hang up together and ring off, all at once.

Another female voice: Not in my ear. / At this stage there were four different people on the same line all wondering how they got there. It was solved by each of them hanging up and ringing off.