C. M. Seeley, Superintendent.

August 1st, whose portrait is the frontispiece of this issue of THE PACIFIC TELEPHONE MAGAZINE, while one of the company's youngest officials, is a veteran in the service, having been first employed in Los Angeles, in January, 1888. in the capacity of night manager. Two years later he was taken into the business office and for three years he served as chief clerk. He was then appointed manager of Los Angeles Exchange and held this position until November, 1904, when he was promoted to the position of district manager. Mr. Seeley continued as district manager until December, 1906, when he was made assistant division manager under John Lawrence. April, 1907, he was appointed Division Superintendent. Mr. Seeley has known. almost the entire history of the southern territory. The company had 650 telephones at Los Angeles when he entered on his telephone career, whereas the Exchange has now 32,000 telephones, being second in number only to San Francisco.

Good Men in a Pinch.

In

A perusal of the news notes of this issue of THE PACIFIC TELEPHONE MAGAZINE will show a number of occasions of conspicuous enterprise by telephone people. At Hoquiam, Wash., for example, a submarine cable became damaged and a new cable Coo feet long was laid and in working order inside of 24 hours. In the meantime telephone service was maintained by fastening an instrument to a tree. At Centralia, Wash., a conflagration destroyed the telephone exchange; in an hour and a half toll connection was established at police headquarters and 14 hours later all toll lines were working, while local service was re-established on a permanent basis in three days. On the occasion of a fire at Monmouth, Ore., a subscriber saved his telephone, the local manager had it connected to a tree in the yard and three hours after the fire broke out the telephone subscriber used it to

order material for his new home. Λι Mt. Vernon, Ore., on the occasion of a local street carnival the manager of the telephone company gave a demonstration of methods of construction which must have been of great value in convincing the farmers roundabout not only that they could deal in Mt. Vernon with a capable manager, but that it would be a comparatively simple project for them to secure telephone connection. These illustrations are selected at random. They show that the people who work for the Bell on the Coast are capable of meeting emergencies.

Bryan, the nominee, could not, of course, be present in person at the convention, but he was, nevertheless, in constant and immediate communication with the party leaders by means of a long-distance line to his home in Lincoln, Nebraska. The candidate observed the proprieties by staying away and looked after his fences just as well as if he had been on the ground. Mayor Busse of Chicago talked to Denver, a distance of more than one thousand miles, thus finally proving the practicability of a rather remarkable achievement.

It is quite possible to conceive that in the course of a very few years the development of the system of repeaters will make it possible for the human voice to travel in the fraction of a minute from San Francisco to New York. Right here on the Coast a great deal of toll line progress is being made. Conversation between San Francisco and Los Angeles, for example, which has been possible for a number of years, is becoming almost as easy a matter as conversation across San Francisco Bay.

Elsewhere in this issue of THE PACIFIC TELEPHONE MAGAZINE is printed the statement of uncollected money and unpaid accounts at June 30th by di

Five Have
All Collected.

visions. This statement is printed every month, but particular attention is called to it this month because of the fact that five exchanges show absolutely no money outstanding at the end of June. These exchanges are Santa Rosa, Cal.; La Grande, Ore.; Oregon City, Ore.; Astoria, Ore., and Walla Walla, Wash. The duties of a Manager are manifold; he must so conduct his exchange as to please his employer and his patrons. The telephone company obtains its income for the most part in small lots and extreme care must be taken to watch every account carefully so that the number of outstanding accounts may be reduced to a minimum. THE PACIFIC TELEPHONE MAGAZINE congratulates the managers of the five exchanges above named for the excellent showing which they made in the month of June.

Credit for Subscribers.

The possession of a telephone is being taken more and more as an evidence of financial responsibility. Mail order houses and those who attempt to reach the better class of people customarily send their advertising literature to names which appear in the telephone directory, thus distinguishing this book as a sort of Blue Book. A Coast telephone man recently went to Chicago and was strongly impressed by the fact that the credit of every Bell telephone user in that city is good for an advertisement in the Chicago newspapers. "Telephone your want ad. to the Daily News and we will print it for you, sending a bill later," is one

newspaper's plea. The Daily News has gone so far as to have a special canvas cover issued for directories in public places and its cover is devoted almost exclusively to the "telephone your want" idea. Other Chicago papers have followed suit with the result that the want ad. patronage is largely increased, while the newspaper men assert that very few people have failed to settle their accounts. A telephone in the home is a business asset.

G. P. Robinson Resigns.

On account of the general breaking down of the health of his father, Mr. G. P. Robinson, General Superintendent of The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, has resigned and leaves the service August 1st. He will go to Milwaukee to take charge of his father's business affairs. Mr. Robinson had his early telephone experience in Wisconsin. and Illinois, and gave up the position of Traffic Manager of the Chicago Telephone Company to organize a Traffic Department on the Pacific Coast. The excellent service given by The Pacific Company is largely due to his efforts. leaves behind him a host of friends, and sincere regret is felt that he should be compelled to leave the telephone service, and it is hoped that it will not be many years until he is able to return to the work he is so well fitted for.

He

Mr. Robinson was given a luncheon on July 22nd by the Division Superintendents at Tait's restaurant. As evidence of the esteem in which they hold the departing chief, the assembled superintendents presented him with a very handsome gold fob set with diamonds, on which was engraved "From Division Superintendents-G. P. R. July 31st,

1908."

SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 1908. Effective August 1st, 1908, the general business of this Company relating to Commercial, Plant and Traffic matters will be handled by separate departments, to be known as the Commercial Department, the Plant Department and the Traffic Department, each in charge of a General Superintendent, who shall report to and receive instructions from the Vice-President and General Manager.

The Company's territory has been divided into three divisions, the Northern, the Central and the Southern. In each division each department shall be in charge of a Division Superintendent, who shall report to and receive instructions from a General Superintendent.

The Northern Division includes that part of the Company's territory in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

The Central Division includes Nevada and that part of California north of the north county line of Kern, San Luis Obispo and San Bernardino counties.

The Southern Division includes that part of California south of the north county line of Kern, San Luis Obispo and San Bernardino counties, and Ari

zona.

The following appointments have been made :

COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT. GEORGE B. BUSH-General Commercial Superintendent.

WILLIAM J. PHILLIPS-Division Commercial Superintendent, Northern Division.

JOHN W. KEARNS-Division Commer

cial Superintendent, Central Division. CALVIN M. SEELEY-Division Commercial Superintendent, Southern Division.

PLANT DEPARTMENT. DAVID S. MURRAY-General Superintendent of Plant. CHARLES W. REYNOLDS-Division Superintendent of Plant, Northern Division.

DARWIN P. FULLERTON-Division Superintendent of Plant, Central Division.

EDWARD B. SMITH-Division Superintendent of Plant, Southern Division. TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT. JOHN P. DOWNS-General Superintendent of Traffic.

JOHN W. GILKYSON-Division Superintendent of Traffic, Northern Division. JOHN H. CORCORAN-Division Superintendent of Traffic, Central Division. MARSHALL D. SEDAM, Division Superin

tendent of Traffic, Southern Division.

Mr. Jay P. Noble and Mr. William C. Hendricks have been appointed Special Agents to the General Commercial Superintendent, and Mr. Howard Keyser has been appointed Special Agent to the General Superintendent of Plant.

The Commercial Department shall have charge of all matters pertaining to the contracting for service; the collection of moneys due the Company; the issuing of directories and investigation of complaints from patrons.

The Plant Department shall have charge of the construction, maintenance and care of the Company's plant, and the securing of rights of way.

The Traffic Department shall have charge of all Exchange and Toll Telephone Service and Commercial Telegraph Service; the arrangement of all toll circuits; and the arrangement and supervision of all leased telegraph circuits.

Under this plan of organization, it is obviously of the greatest importance that every employee in a department shall cooperate fully with employees of all other departments of the Company. It is also very important that complaints, requests. or suggestions received from subscribers or the public be forwarded promptly to the proper department.

Any department may make requests Upon any other department for information, reports or other assistance necessary for the proper conduct of its af