THE TELEPHONE GIRL

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 584, 12 August 1909, Page 3

THE TELEPHONE GIRL

SOME LETTERS. A correspondent >yrites expressing much pleasure at the sensible views 'expressed by. a " Telephone Girl " in yesterday morning's* ' issue, and goes' on to • say She complains, however, that very few, subscribers say 'Please' when asking for a number. ■ Per.sonally,. I-,:never . say''/Please;'.' for fear' of'iits being, mistaken for the figure .3. . "'Eight seven," please,'- if the telephone ,is ,not'.working, well, is hardly distinguishable'from 573. But-I -am very, sorry that any .'telephone girl' should think mb-wanting in courtesy airi," c-tc-, „. ■ SUBSCRIBER. ; August 11.' ■".Svist a Man ".writes in, a somewhat simi-. lar strain.. He Aha! • So the-tele-phone girl lias been-'saying her interesting, say to 'Dominica. 4 ' And since her say'(including'her. woes) are so very ■ interesting, wilLsho_ take it kindly if I'say just .one word. . If-she is a reader.of' H. G. .Wells,-., she may. : remombdr 'pne 'seritenco from the 'Days-.of the Comet,' where it'is'stated': 'Jt iS 'a 'dirk' world, this world'of .ours, and full,of stupid : unpremeditated cruelties.'-' It is ,these 'unpremeditated cruelties that make an- otherWise gblden- world :so; dark;; and,'fno'doubt; the,tolephone lady gets-.her. share.'...But. she fails when_ she comes, to ■us in the role of censor l mori. She fails especially on the part : about the ;use of', the word':' Pleased li I : ringup = for,, say; .UlO, 4 'l pro.ba'bly 'get. 216/ but- if I ask. for "JIB,, please,', then, as likely as .notv I'/get 21G3.' In this, coiiriection- L re-; member that',the telephone girls' in Diinediii (some seven years ago) seemed to be bent on 4 reforming the-manners or the cit'y.'WhenOK'i' anyone sent his modest'"number into iho wire,-a haughty and most unpleasant''Please' came back along'it insta'nter." Another , correspondent writes '.inquiring why -.it, is that sometimes ;-in the midst of a conversation .over the -wiros. she is suddenly cut off. " Only the other day," she writes, " I was rung up■ by someone asking for information as to what, time certain' mails went out,, and, having to leave the telephone for a moment, while finding ont what time they did go, found on coming back that I: was - cut oif. Not' knowing who was ringing up at 4 the other end, nothing more could be done. To say the least,'-it'-was rather awk\vard. Perhaps someone can explain ' why that happens?"—"lnquirer." : ! .