Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company's building in Fresno. The picture. shows Mr. George Schuster and Mr. Harold Brinker sitting in the machine, which is entirely hidden from view by the sea of faces surrounding it. Many of the Fresno telephone force can be recognized among the crowd.

Oakland Division.

Mr. G. R. Jahnigen, County Manager, with headquarters at Pt. Arena, has resigned, to go into the electrical business at Ft. Bragg. Mr. Jahnigen had been with the company about fourteen years, and was a capable employee. He will be succeeded by Mr. Williams, who is at present repairman at Stewart's Point.

Mr. O. D. Johnson has been appointed Division Chief Operator of the Oakland Division, with headquarters at Oakland.

The Telephone Society of the Pacific States held a big meeting on April 8th, at which a large number of members were present. President Boomer, who called the meeting to order, spoke about the society and its future. Secretary Burke spoke in regard to the financial condition of the society. It was nounced that on April 20th Mr. Fitzsimmons would illustrate and explain the trunk circuit. After the regular business of the society had been transacted, Mr. Guzman favored the members with

a few songs.

an

The Eastside Book Club at Merritt Exchange has 85 books with a membership of about 32. Much interest is taken in the club by its members.

The election of officers of the Alameda Potential Club took place on March 13th, and the following were chosen for the current year:

C. A. Kelly, High Potential; B. Evans, Repeater; J. Sweeney, G. French, E. Moore, Executive Committee. After

the election of officers, C. A. Kelly, High Potential, gave a talk on the future of the club.

Miss G. Bell has resigned her position with the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, Alameda, to accept a position as Exchange Operator with the firm of Combs and Fisher.

On March 6th a joint meeting was held of the Chief Operators, Supervisors, Wire Chief and Switchboard men at Alameda. The meeting proved interesting as well as beneficial, as many important points were discussed, especially in regard to reporting trouble.

Cleveland Armstrong, who has been night operator of Livermore Exchange for the past two years, has resigned. Miss Adel Altamarino succeeded him as night operator.

Division Superintendent Kearns, Mr. Smith of the Vice-President and General Manager's office, and Division Wire Chief Dunphy recently made a tour of inspection of the lines and offices in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. It is the intention of Division Superintendent Kearns to visit all offices and inspect the entire outside plant of the Oakland Division during the coming coming summer months.

Miss Lulu M. Dickinson, Cashier and Recorder at Vallejo, has resigned and will be succeeded by Miss Ruth Swafford.

San Francisco Division.

Ground has been broken and work begun on a new San Francisco office to be known as Richmond Exchange. The new exchange will be located in the Richmond district, in Fifth avenue between Point Lobos avenue and A street, facing the French Hospital. It will cost $24,000.

The building was designed by the engineering department, and will be of handsome appearance, the architecture:

out telephones owing to lack of facilities. With a view to discovering and correcting faults in operating methods in San Francisco, City Chief Operator M. D. Sedam has instituted a series of visitmeetings. The first of these meetings was held on April 16, and others will be held weekly.

The plan is that each chief operator, and the director of the training school, shall visit, once a week-the chiefs going in a body-one of the San Francisco exchanges. The chiefs, on the occasion of these visits, each take a supervisor's position and put in the day in actual supervision. After the work of the day is done, a conference is called, and the irregularities in operating which the

chiefs have discovered are discussed.

The visiting chiefs, on returning to their own exchanges, report to their people the irregularities in operating which they

have noticed from the distant office.

At the first meeting, held on April 16, the visiting chiefs provided, after the day's work was done, an elaborate luncheon, which started with an oyster cocktail and ended with neapolitan ice cream and French pastry-with all the necessaries in between. The spirit shown at the meeting was most encouraging and the visit-meetings are expected to result in marked improvements of service.

Southern Division.

Mr. A. A. Loyd has been appointed Manager at the Oxnard Exchange, succeeding Mr. J. K. Brown, who resigned to take his former position with the Southern Bell Telephone Company. Mr. Lloyd comes from the New York Telephone Company, where he was employed as Assistant Wire Chief in one of the

large Exchanges.

Mr. T. C. Swift has been promoted to the position of Manager at Santa Paula Exchange, succeeding Mr. Geo. Weatherly, who has resigned to enter into business for himself.

Bids for the new building at San Bernardino were opened at San Francisco recently and contracts awarded to Samuel Lifler, of San Bernardino. This building will be one of the finest office buildings in the South and is designed by Chief Engineer Burkett of the Pacific Telephone Company. Work on it will be rushed.

On the occasion of the visit of Admiral Evan's Fleet to San Pedro, Manager Gross of the San Pedro Exchange strung a sub-marine wire to the Flagship Connecticut, which lay about one and a half miles outside the breakwater in the San Pedro Harbor.

The Officers and Sailors who used the service proclaimed it the finest they had

ever experienced and were pleased with the progressiveness of the Company. All the people on the ships were given free service and Long Distance connections were made all over the territory of the Telephone Company.

At 8:30 a.m. on the morning of April 13th the Steamer Francis Leggett fouled her anchor of the cable belonging to the Pacific Telephone Company, which gives

Terminal Island Manager Gross

subscribers service. with commendable energy had a new cable strung across the bay and working at 9 p.m. the same day. In order to accomplish this it was necessary for him to get connection with Los Angeles to order the cable, have the same shipped down, and pull it across the bay by means of Launches and boats. Considering the adverse circumstaces under which he was working, the connection was made in remarkable quick time.

April 15th was the anniversary of the issue of the first Telephone Directory in Los Angeles City, which occurred 26 years ago. The first book contained 91 names and some of the subscribers are still enjoying the use of the same telephone numbers as appeared in the original book, and avoid with jealous care any overtures to a change of their numbers. The only copy in existence is in the possession of the General Agent, Mr. John Lawrence, who prizes it highly.

On Sunday evening April 12th, the new Montecito office was cut over with

twenty-three subscribers. The office has two positions equipped for 180 lines, and there are facilities for good work in the district.

The Southern Branch of the Engineering Department has been abolished and the Officials of the Southern Division regret exceedingly the departure of Mr. R. A. Morehead, who has during the past few months made personal friends of many with whom he has come in contact.

On March 21st Mr. C. F. Clapp,

Agent at Covina was succeed by Mr. O. T. Amyrauld.

There have been 85 books added to the Main Office Library during the past month.

Hollywood, Upland, Ontario and Glendale made the largest per cent. increase in Sub-Stations during February in the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company's territory. We are especially pleased with this showing as all of these towns have strong competing companies.

On April 1st San Diego Traffic methods were changed to a certain extent and a Telegraph Circuit established for ticket wire use. All calls, orders and reports are now passed in the same manner as the Los Angeles-San Francisco calls. The efficiency of the circuits has been greatly increased.

Although a little late we wish to call. attention to the visit recently made by Mr. Smith, General Agent, to this Division. Mr. Smith rode over all our Toll Lines in our territory in an automobile, accompanied by the Division Superintendent, Mr. C. M. Seeley, and Division Wire Chief, E. H. Long. With two exceptions the trip was not particularly exciting. Twice the party were obliged to unload and have their traps taken across creeks, and the gasoline engine. succeeded by block and tackle.

The Telephone Society of the Southern Division met Tuesday Evening April 14th and a complete set of by-laws and a constitution were adopted. A preliminary talk was given by Mr. C. H. Seeley, Division Superintendent.

Oregon Division.

Chas. Shenefield has been succeeded as Manager at Corvallis, Oregon, by S. H. Moses, formerly Manager at Philomath, Oregon. Corvallis will soon have a new Central office equipment and will be in position to accommodate the large amount of business which will probably be offered.

The Skamania Co-operative Telephone

Association of Stevenson, Washington, have signed a contract with The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company for a period of five years. The Skamania Company controls toll lines extending for fifty miles and exchanges in Skamania and Clarke Counties, Washington. The territory in which they operate is rapidly settling up and is prospering as the result of the building of the new North Bank Railroad. Mr. A. C. Sly of Stevenson is the Manager of the Company.

An operators organization has been effected at Hood River, Oregon. Miss Kezia Ingram is President. Miss Mabel Hayward is Secretary. The operators meet twice a month and consider subjects of interest to them and the telephone service at Hood River. The new organization is resulting already in improving the service.

The new Woodlawn Exchange was formally opened on the evening of April 10th, when subscribers lines giving service to 1700 patrons were cut into the office. The new office is located in the north part of East Portland and has a fine new Central office building and equipment.

W. V. Merrill has been succeeded as Manager of the Supply Dept., Portland, by W. Beirne, formerly of Fresno, California. Mr. Merrill has been appointed clerk in the office of the Division Superintendent, Portland.

New contracts have been signed with incorporated telephone companies at La Camas and Washougal, both in Clarke County, Washington, the new companies taking over the exchanges of The Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company at those points. The local companies have already begun operation with exchanges of considerable size.

On April 7th a new 200-pair submarine cable was laid across the Willamette River at Portland. The laying of this cable attracted considerable attention owing to the size of the reel on which

the cable was wound, the cable and reel together weighing 31,000 pounds. The new cable will contain trunk lines to accommodate business from the three new offices now located on the East side of the river.

New Central office quarters have been leased at Newberg, Oregon. These will give ample space for the exchange at Newberg, which is growing. On May Ist the present Manager, A. P. Oliver, will be succeeded by Miss Ida Wood, who has been Chief Operator for two years at that exchange.

The toll line between Portland and Salem is being entirely rebuilt. The part between Portland and Oregon City is practically completed, the new line following a different route a good part of the way between Portland and Oregon City. It is expected that construction of the line will be finished by July

Ist.

Puget Sound Division.

The Bellingham underground cable system had a 410 pair underground composite cable destroyed by electrolysis recently. The trouble was remedied by placing a heavier return, it taking a 500,000 circular mills cable to do it.

The Pacific Telephone Society of Bellingham has been organized and the Society is holding interesting and instructive meetings each Friday night. H. H. Horton, the Bellingham Wire Chief, is President of the society. Meetings are held in the store-room, in the rear of the new building. A large blackboard has been constructed and the different circuits are drawn out. S. Terwilliger, the Bellingham inspector, has made a small set of Blue Prints for each These prints are placed in a small book and carried by the men. This saves the returning of many bells and sets to store-room on account, as the old saying was: "can't make it work."

man.

On March 31st Miss Lillian Palmer,

Chief Operator of the North Yakima Exchange, resigned on account of illhealth. She will be succeeded by Miss Edna Howard, formerly Evening Chief Operator. Miss Winifred Meyer, formerly an operator, will fill the position of Evening Chief Operator.

Mrs. Lottie Smith, Manager of the Cle Elum Exchange, who has been away from the office for the last four weeks, suffering from an attack of the grippe, is now fully recovered and back on duty.

Sacramento Division.

Miss L. E. Butsin, Asst. Cashier at the Reno, Nevada, Exchange, has resigned as she expects to leave for California shortly. Miss Ethel McLead has accepted the position vacated by Miss Butsin.

Mr. John H. Walbridge, Agent at the Montague Exchange for the past ten years, died at Livermore, Cal.. a few days ago. Mr. Walbridge was interested in the building of the first telephone line in Siskiyou county, a good many years ago, allowing him communication between his two places of business, one in Yreka and the other in Montague.

The employees of the Telephone Company at Reno, Nevada, have recently organized a baseball team and have issued a challenge to all ball teams in the State of Nevada.

Miss Emma Gluesing, employed in the Division Superintendent's office at Sacramento for the past several years, has resigned her position.

Construction Notes.

Gangs are now at work extending the Yosemite Valley Line from El Portal, the present terminus, into the valley. This line will be completed in a few days and will, no doubt, prove a great convenience to summer tourists.

Two new sections of switchboard are being installed at Santa Cruz to provide additional facilities.

Owing to shortage in facilities at Alameda Exchange, 400 additional multiple has been approved and is now being installed.

The Construction Department is installing one additional section of switchboard and additional multiple and answering jacks at San Luis Obispo, to provide for increased business.

Two additional sections of Number 9 switchboard is being installed at Santa Monica to care for growth at that place.

Owing to the demands for increased facilities at Berkeley it has been approved to install 560 additional answering jacks. This work is now under way.

Work at the new Piedmont Office, Oakland, is progressing rapidly. The Power Panel, fuse board and all racks have been installed, about two-thirds of the answering jacks have been placed in position and cabling laced. The majority of the runways are also in position. The outside work is being rushed, and although the main cables are not expected from the East until early in May, if no difficulties are encountered they will be hauled and spliced, and all terminals placed, in time to make the cut over of this office June 15th.

Several gangs are at work building the new Woodland-Willows-Colusa Jet. toll line, also the Portland-Salem line.

The Toll Line along the Northern Pacific Company's right-of-way between Tacoma and Kalama is now being rebuilt. This work involves some difficult engineering and a great deal of expense. It is being carried out under the supervision of District Superintendent of Construction Fleager, with Mr. J. F. Lowrie of Mr. Fullerton's office, in direct charge.