AT THE OTHER END.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 583, 11 August 1909, Page 3

AT THE OTHER END.

A TELEPHONE GIRL'S VIEWS '".What "are ;subscrifcs .like,generally when, they -ririg- ( up?" said '.the 1 telephone pealing tho ! ~.1: •; /''Well;...sometimes ;they'- are ..y.ery. pleasant and courteous; but.therer'are,. many who' are very :rude; and trying: indeed! . The .'pleasant ones;' and/givo .theiri the. best ..attention; poweiy /As'for'the-; . others) ■ 'the'.attention wo are 1 paid. to;;give/ i ;bni- l syo'.,nevei , ';'go' out';'of our . way-to. them'—such. ,as J by! . ringing them .up,,to 'lot, them.jlinpw. when tho' num-. ..'her -they-:liave been;,,trying to -get. for some > time; is disengaged,; ;and other, little';..attentions.- "It;, is' surprising ' .how.'' few people., are • :OTUrteous{,eho,ugh. to..saj .'please* * when asking ..forravnumber. ~:Cflriamly some/are,, ilii.der the A impression.V that,, it; cheeks"' dispatch - in.: getting' ,the> number,, wanted 1 :;by . stopping .; long eni3Ugh to. use, ; thei'._wprdj.,and,' anyway; why. bother ; ? jto : say ■ ■fplease'to ■ Central P-psa' they think. •; ;■ ,'|lt , woujd- be such >a-he]p„ : and.a:.gain!..in. time, if -people whenfringing-up.would start at; once: uy, 'giving/ the-number wanted,,with-.. , out' , any ,preliminariessuch vas ; . 'Is 'that. Exchange 'Yos^- ; we ';'reply,and-, then comes' Give :nie_ 609.';. - In- that .short space of time.vfive; or. sis 'other^people -are waiting - ..ti' bo answered,v whoi-eas had .-the . subscriber , asked for. the number wanted , at - once,: he or she 'second;. You 'have-', no. idea, of ..how . monotonous it . is . sitting there-.for .dome hours, saying;.,. -'Num- ■ ber please?!, and 'Right!' and it is very-hard on one's throat when oho is very-busy: . It tells mpre on 'the-.throat than on any other part." • > ... .. - .. , ; ,' - Do ynii bavo much switchboard work ~to do'P";askedvthe,..curious'one.;;.-:w:-c.

"No,. 'thank., -goodness! I: ..don't; have ■ so. much of ,that_now, 'but do more,of,the.bureau; 'lis,-, connecting-< subscribers- .with, bureaux'.'.'.. That vis ,a ',little moi:d : interesting as.it mcans''a.:little;c6nversatioii,:jnd;a little, wntingin fWlieuva-Subscriber:iyants aib;nreanj. the. exch'ahge^.girl r c6nhcßt's .him: or, herewith. bureau; girl, 1 - who/asks the','Ua:me, 'aiHl . the they aroringing fr0m;....,-Tho;irea-son for,-.so doing is": that; tKe.Dopartmen't'Can send the'/debit - note-':to thai! name. and' -iium-..- ; .her. ; Ifc.is on :a-form ready!for.:the purpose}-'andiithey ; a<e /then,-.connected.-Often, we get-a .maiupri woman.who:,objects;' strongly to- giving.-histor .^her• name, .taking' it.as pcrson4li-'ourio3it.yi- fl oiviouEiipaj;t',i[ii;Sojiie.tirfles: we convinpe., them,-.that it; is.-liot;v'oth'er.';times' . they ringr>off,»in'- a.-bad;: temper, '-and;.'-.don't; bother to , get the bureau; This -all. takes time, and we do bless-them,-»I can -tell you." . ."The _ telegraph burea,Tv, wor(c'. js.-Vthe- most interesting—that - is, transmitting 'telegrams to the.;diffei'ent',;telephone: bureaux.' *:vl ;doa lot of-that• now,-'- and when-1 have 'to ' work f at the witchboard/feel quite' unhappy..;"; The time flies, ;too, ' in:;.the',bureau,* 1 and', does -any l thing butiithat.iiarthe. exchange;:,'; .- ; "Sometimes l ;;; temper : really:.. -rises, when' one. ihascpartic'ularly rude;. and--trying - people ;to i deal- withj; and .:they are'' answered. . —not wisely, .perhapsji- noruiteo; well.- .'.-Then there <js!;tti)uble#°.:Bu,t really.'.ond.' would 'not 1 bo human ,'.t6' sitv:thero,i and': takp .all• they. say. without;airsWring/backi., Of;course,-;you are not - supposed to /answer 'Jack,. but .ono would hav.e..'to.'be: particularly good tempered not to.!/?' If 'only ;the -public cojild -see the •work.'in.i;the-.Exchange they would''.'walk; out wiser and more considerate-b.eings. .- ' • • "We have c,ords and.:levei ; s'.and.shutters that we use -in 'connecting and disconnecting; and .it mayybo. .they , are.: sometimes- out of order before ,_we:-can, discover ;.thati they '.are. Iri'the meantime,'through using these'iaulty cords, ,or shutters, or . levers, bad connections have been .made—probably the subscriber at" the other end. get the riug, or the shutter: that-; goes;, up. when; you,,'; ring :6fi, 'too soon,, aiid: .there you' are cut off, and: so on. . People' Me often': uiider the .impression, that a good, long ring is the way ' gain- .our, attention ..quickly,By ringing-, you raise a little shutter, at- the .'Exchange; One short ring will do that,..and it stays up until we. answer... AVliile a person is ringing we get -it in the . ear, : and . therefore - cannot answer ~ till,- : he : stops: < ■ If ; we i : .wait' till ho stops .that.means others are waitlhg; 60 't. may be that wo. take r.the next" one. • _ Although the hours aro '(short, - : the work _is.- trying r.for .the..hervesy-, and: really very irritating. The rings in -the ear' that we get ail dav- Jong .aro y the most irritating part -about .the .whole' thing:C.;'Wo do :nbt get it as a ring, but, as a kind of. shock in ■the.'ear. - ./-i• i,-.-