TELEPHONE SCANDAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1882, 16 October 1913, Page 11

TELEPHONE SCANDAL.

ALLEGED BRIBES FOR WOMEN OPERATORS. Five women operators in ono of the central telephone exchanges of Paris were last month accused of having been for three years in the pay of a corn broker, tho allegation being that ho bribed them to hinder rival brokei'6 from getting into communication with their clients.

Through tho complicity of these employees tho broker, according to the Daily Mail," is alleged to liavo boon able also to overhear telephone conversations between other members of tho Corn Exchange, with tho result that be was ablo to effect many sales by undercutting tlio nrices by a single point. The "Liberto assorts that as many as thirty-five operators are involved, as well as two clerks and othor minor officials, who are said to have connived at the. system of preference. The broker who has been tho chief sufferer by' competition said to havo been based on a knowledge of his business illicitly gained, says: "Months ago I noticed that each time I tried to telephone to my provincial customors between noon and two p.m. I was always told that their number was engaged. I knew that this could not be the case,, since wo had an arrangement that they should wait for mo at that time.

"I was greatly surprised when_ I afterwards heard that, several minutes after I had telephoned to quote a price, certain of my competitors, and one particularly among tho rest, had rung up to make an offer at such a price that my own suggestion was certain to be rejected. When I tried to regain the number to make a quotation in reply, I always received the answer. 'Line engaged.' " It is stated that tho broker accused of corrupting the telephone employees has been making profits at tho rate of £2000 a day, and that his presents to the telephone girls took tho form of dresses and jewols.

Ono of tho accused operators says she gave the "engaged" signal on olio specific occasion at the request of a collcaguo, who said that tho person whose number was asked for was a friend of hers, that lier daughter had died suddenly, and that tho operator wished to spare lier tho shock of hearing th'e news by telephone.