THREE-MINUTE LIMIT

Evening Star, Issue 22445, 16 September 1936, Page 8

THREE-MINUTE LIMIT

USE OF PUBLIC TELEPHONES TIMING DEVICES BEING FITTED Although small, an important _ work which the Post and Telegraph engineers have in hand at present is the installation of timing devices in. all the public Id in the slot telephones in the city and suburbs. This work is being done progressively, but in a short time all conversations from these telephones will be timed by the automatic device. In the making of these installations the chief aim of the department is to effect an improvement in the service to the public. Anyone who is in the habit of using this public untility must be aware of the inconvenience often caused by certain persons who conduct lengthy conversations regardless of the fact that others are waiting for the opportunity to use the telephones. The timing device will have the effect of hastening these inconsiderate ones, as it is being fitted to limit the period of conversation to three minutes. If, however, the person making use of the telephone wishes the conversation to continue over that time, the insertion of an additional penny will reset the timing device to allow of a further threeminute period being obtained without the necessity of the user having to hang up the receiver and redial. It is as well to explain that the insertion of a penny will always reset the machine for a full three minutes, even though a previous user might not have utilised his full allotted time.