OUR TELEPHONES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8, 14 May 1913, Page 4

OUR TELEPHONES.

Writing to the Stratford Chamber of Commerce, Mr A. Coleman complains of the delay experienced in having a telephone installed at his house. From what we ran gather, the

complaint is a general one, and it is a ■ fact that the officers of the Telegraph Department at Stratford can give no assurance when telephonic connections in certain areas can he made. Intending subscribers are, of course, not informed of the reason for the' delay, but it is suspected that the trouble lies in the damage done by every small storm that happens to strike Stratford. A glance at the Broadway telephone poles will show that the wires are so low that the, Electrical Supply Company’s lines are sandwiched between them. Whenever the wind is at all strong, the lines come in contact, and the telegraph wires come off second best. That is the reason why subscribers are occasionally awakened in the early hours of the morning by a furious ringing of their telephones, and why others have to take the receiver off its hook or put up with a continuous jangling of their ’phone. It was stated in our columns some time ago that three officers of the Department were in Stratford inspecting the lines, and the public is now awaiting with interest the news of what the Department intends to do. Three alternatives suggest themselves: First, the Department may come to an agreement with the Stratford Electrical Supply Company, whereby all risk of contact between the two lines may be avoided; second, the Department could cable their wires, and third, they could run them underground. The last-named appears to be the only expedient way of getting over the difficulty. Cables have not always proved satisfactory, and there are instances where they must have proved very expensive to the Department. Meanwhile something must be done, and that soon, for existing conditions are decidedly unnerving.