A Suggestion to Managers

What Can You Do?

At the present time this question is being asked of every man more insistently than ever. The time is past when mere nerve and bluff can take the place of substantial ability. Never before have there been so many goods sold on the "satisfaction or your money back" principle as now. And the test applies to men as well as goods.

To be definite—

Can you clear a bad case of trouble which other men failed to get?

Can you erect a good pole line, one which will be sightly and secure after ten years of service?

Can you pacify an unreasonable subscriber, show him where the difficulty lies, and send him away a friend to the company instead of an enemy?

Can you handle men? Can you get the work done thoroughly and on time. without being a grinding taskmaster? Can you command the respect of your men by reason of the fact that you know the business, and yet give due weight to the opinion and advice which they offer? Can you look over a proposed job of work, get familiar with all the details, and estimate fully and completely the necessary materials and be sure of your results?

Can you take an unfamiliar subject, find where information is to be had, look up references (men, books and things), digest them, and make a readable and reasonable report on it?

Do you have to have someone at your side every minute to tell you what to do next? Can you take up the line of work which falls to your lot and follow it consistently till yon get results.-Telephony.

In a Drug Store: "Please sir, may I use your telephone?" said a lady. "Yes, mam, walk this way, please." "Not if I know myself," said the lady, looking down at his bow legs, and turning to leave the store, "there are other telephones in the neighborhood."-Er.

New Exchange, San Francisco

The new exchange building of The Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company at No. 1045 Capp street, near Twenty-fifth street, in San Francisco, known as the Mission Exchange, was placed in service on the morning of May 2nd, at which time 2300 telephones in the Mission District were changed from the Central Office at 74 West Mission street to the new building. About 1700 additional telephones will be changed within a few weeks. The new building is a fireproof structure of three stories and designed especially to meet the requirements of a modern telephone exchange. The switchboard follows the latest approved design in telephone engineering. Considerable ground and aerial cable has been installed and the equipment now available. for the Mission District is a guarantee of satisfactory service to telephone users in that section. Employment will be furnished about fifty-five persons, of whom forty-five are operators, and this number will be increased from time to time, as required. Lunch and rest rooms have been provided for the operators.

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The Mission Exchange will serve the telephone users in the District between Eighteenth street and the county line, and will provide adequate facilities in this district for some time to come. It is especially welcomed by the residents of the outer Mission District where the Telephone Company has been greatly handicapped in providing facilities since the fire of April 1906.

Free Speech at Last

Cohenstein: Vot is dot pizness dot Levi's got strapped on his head?

Levi's Secretary: I forget vot you call it, but Levi said he couldn't talk when he had to hold a telephone receiver in his handt.-Puck.

Northern Division

T. L. Chambers, City Plant Chief of Tacoma, was a Seattle visitor last week.

Seattle East Exchange made a gain of 77 lines and 115 stations in March.

W. C. Pickford, Chief Clerk of the Plant Department at Tacoma, with his wife visited Seattle friends last week.

The young ladies of the P. T. & T. Co. held their sixth annual ball on Wednesday evening, April 14th, 1909.

J. H. Corcoran, Superintendent of Superintendent of Traffic of San Francisco, was in Seattle calling on old acquaintances April 5th and 6th.

The Pacific Tel. & Tel. Co. at Lebanon, Ore., has moved into larger and better quarters constructed for it by the First National Bank of Lebanon.

C. B. Bennett, Time Keeper of City Plant Department, Seattle, and party of friends were at Mount Vernon last week trout fishing, bringing home several beauties of the finny tribe.

Myron Bateman, North Wire Chief, entertained at Bridge Whist at his residence in West Seattle, Thursday evening, April 8th. Twenty young people of the P. T. & T. Co. were present and all enjoyed themselves immensely.

L. R. Robertson, formerly Special Agent with headquarters at Portland, has been appointed Manager of the Pioneer Tel. & Tel. Co., Prineville, Ore. This company has an extensive toll system throughout Crook County, and at large number of subscribers within seventy-five miles of Prineville.

Work has been commenced on new common battery switchboards for Medford, Grants Pass and Ashland. Some of the material is already on the ground and work will be pushed to early completion at all these places. These exchanges

in Southern Oregon have grown rapidly in the last few years and the present equipment has outgrown the requirements of this prosperous section of the country. The new exchanges to be installed will be ample for the needs of the towns for seven years to come.

In 1907 a new district in Seattle known as Mount Baker Park was opened up. As this is a high-class residence district overlooking Lake Washington, there soon were a number of houses being built and orders for telephone service were coming in. An estimate was then made up to take care of this district. On March 13th, 1909, the first telephone was installed for Mr. Livingood. On March 20th, 1909, a telephone was placed for J. Frederick Thorne, who was so pleased that he treated all the boys who had anything to do with the job to cigars. He also sent into the office of the Plant Department a pencil drawing, which is reproduced.

The people of Skamokawa and Cathlamet, two towns located in Wahkiakum County, Wash., on the north bank of the Columbia River, are anxious for telephone service with the outside world. So far there are no telephones in Wahkiakum County, but this condition will not long exist. Arrangements are being made for the construction of a toll line to connect with the lines of the Pacific Tel. & Tel. Co. between Portland and Astoria. This will involve the laying of a submarine cable across the Columbia River. The total expense of the connecting line will not be short of $5000,

but the people are determined to get long distance connection, and plans are under way at the present time for raising the necessary funds.

The Queen Anne Wire Chief has lately invented a combination safety strap and jack strap that is a great improvement over the ordinary safety strap and is also a perfect jack-strap for telephone work, as by use of a pair of grips hooped into the snaps a pull is possible from both sides of the arm that can be made heavy enough to pull a new No. 14 iron wire in two. The possession of one of these combination straps by a bug hunter will be a boon as it will do away with the necessity of carrying a pair of blocks and also to a great extent will stop temporary O. K. on trouble that is caused by slack in lead, as a trouble shooter will always permanently clear a case of trouble if he has the tools with which to do so, and a safety of design gives a perfect tool for pulling slack. This strap is to be patented and handled by the Western Electric Company.

Central Division

Mr. W. N. King has been appointed Manager at King City.

Mr. Albert Isaak, formerly Collector at Santa Rosa Exchange, has been succeeded by Mr. Louis Hardie.

Miss Angela Ruch has been appointed Agent and Chief Operator at Mt. View to succeed Miss Louise C. Rose, resigned.

A common battery switchboard is being installed at Willows, to take the place of the present Magneto board.

Owing to the resignation of Manager Crites of Sausalito, Manager Kreider's district has been enlarged to include this exchange, as well as Mill Valley.

Mr. Harry A. McNamara has been appointed Cashier and Recorder at Santa. Rosa, succeeding Mr. P. E. Davis, promoted to the position of Manager at Red Bluff.

Mr. R. A. Haislip of the Engineering Department, San Francisco, has been devoting some time to the study of conditions in San Jose along the line of future. development.

Mrs. M. E. Watrous has succeeded Miss Kimball as Manager at Sebastopol Exchange, Miss Kimble having been transferred to the Commercial Department at Santa Rosa.

Manager Geo. Combs, Salinas, Cal., has resigned, and has been succeeded by Mr. H. B. Tubbs. Mr. Tubbs was formerly a District Manager with one of the Eastern Bell Companies.

During the month just past, Division Commercial Superintendent Jno. Kearns has visited numerous exchanges in his Division, among them being Salinas, Watsonville, Santa Cruz, Chico, Red Bluff and Willows.

Mr. G. R. Jahnigen, for a number of years in charge of the exchange in Mendocino County, on the Coast, has reentered the Company's employ as Manager of the Fort Bragg District, owing to the resignation of Mr. Iversen.

Mr. G. J. Springer, Manager of San Mateo Exchange, was a recent visitor at San Jose. Mr. Springer was particularly interested in the work of the Plant Department as outlined by Mr. J. W. Glass, San Jose City Plant Chief.

Manager L. M. Brown of Red Bluff has resigned and will engage in business at Tacoma. We regret to lose so efficient a Manager, and we wish him success in his new venture. Mr. Brown will be succeeded by Mr. P. E. Davis, formerly Recorder and Cashier at Santa Rosa.

Mr. Stanley E. Crichton, Canvasser at San Jose Exchange, has just returned from a very pleasant trip through the Southern States. While in New Orleans Mr. Crichton purchased a young alligator which he brought back with him as a souvenir of the Mississippi Valley.

Mr. H. E. McKee and Mr. F. E. Newman, Manager and Recorder respectively of Sacramento Exchange, were welcome visitors at San Jose a short time ago. They made a thorough inspection of the routine telephone work at the Garden City Exchange.

Manager A. T. Bond of Visalia has resigned, having accepted an important position with a local concern. Mr. Bond will be succeeded by Mr. C. M. Williams of Livermore. As soon as this change is made, the Livermore District will be placed under the jurisdiction of Manager Parker of Haywards.

Miss L. Luhrman, who for the past five years has been a Toll Operator at San Jose Exchange, has resigned her position to become a trained nurse. On Thursday evening, April 8th, the Long Distance girls at San Jose gave Miss Luhrman a very pleasant farewell surprise party, at which time she was presented with a handsome gold fountain pen as a token of their esteem. The party broke up at a late hour after a very enjoyable evening.

A fire at the Porterville (Cal.) Exchange on April 11th resulted in the destruction of about thirty feet of 50-pr. cable and the temporary cutting out of about 175 telephones. Although the fire occurred at noon, the same evening found the service completely restored, a result which called forth the following comment from the Porterville Messenger:

"One of the most remarkable things in connection with the fire here on Sunday was in the rapidity with which the telephone system was again put in working order, and the record was one which reflects the very greatest credit upon Manager Vinston and his electrician, Bert Maxon, in whose immediate charge was the work, and Henry Verfurth, who assisted with the repairs."

Southern Division

The Company has just opened a Public Office at Harpers Station, Orange County.

New Directories have just been issued for San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Long Beach, San Pedro, Pasadena and Alhambra.

Mr. G. B. Bush, General Commercial Superintendent, has recently made an extended trip throughout the Division, visiting all of the prominent exchanges.

Canvasser Sullivan has been transferred from Long Beach to Redondo; Mr. Uttley, working at Santa Monica, has also been transferred to Redondo.

Mr. J. B. Armstrong has been appointed Manager of Lompoc Exchange, succeeding Mr. Arnold. Mr. Armstrong formerly occupied the position of roubleman at Santa Barbara Exchange.

Ray Crow, formerly employed by the firm of Crow & Drake, has accepted the position of Collector with the Telephone Company at Alhambra; Claude Drake, former collector, has been transferred to the Installing Department.

Mr. R. L. Lewis, Manager at San Diego, visited Los Angeles recently, for conference with Mr. C. M. Seeley, Division Commercial Superintendent, in relation to the development for San Diego Exchange for the ensuing year.

The Telephone Company will rebuild and extend many of its lines in Fullerton on account of increasing business, expending something like $10,000. A large number of telephones have been connected recently at this point.

The Switchboard which the Telephone Company installed at Inglewood a couple of months ago when it moved into its new home on Market street, was not big enough to accommodate the business and this week it had to be enlarged.

Miss Addie Wardwell, for eight years Chief Operator at Pasadena Exchange, who recently resigned her position, was presented by her associates with a handsome silver cake plate.

A deal of considerable magnitude has just been put through, whereby the territory in and around Corona has been sublicensed to the Corona Union Home Telephone & Telegraph Company, the transfer involving some 700 or 800 telephones.

The toll line between Nordhoff and Ventura is being rebuilt and a large force of men are hurrying the work to completion. This is a piece of work that has been urgently needed for some time past and patrons at both ends of the line greatly appreciate it.

Mr. W. C. Lacy, one of the Telephone Company's switchboard experts, visited Lompoc lately, to do some work in the local office. The increased business of the Exchange makes it necessary to extend cable service to accommodate the subscribers.

Mr. R. H. Winn, who for several years has been Manager of Escondido Exchange, has resigned. Mr. Winn is going to enter into business for himself in San Diego under the firm name of Jarvis & Winn, and we wish him success in his new venture.

Under the efficient management of Miss Minnie Burt, Inglewood Exchange is rapidly coming to the front. Additional jacks have just been installed to take care of prospective subscribers. Since Miss Burt has taken hold of the Exchange we have increased our subscribers 30 per cent.

The Company is installing at Santa Paula a hundred pair cable through the business section of Main street, on completion of which the present aerial wires will be taken down. This work has been necessary on account of the increasing

number of new lines. When this work is finished the capacity will be doubled for additional business.

Orange Exchange is now one of the model exchanges of the Coast. A large force of men have been working at this point for a number of weeks past and have just completed changing all of the subscribers' sets from local to common battery and the subscribers are more than pleased with the progressiveness shown by the Company.

The office in Redondo has beeen moved from its old location to the Garland Block and a new switchboard has been installed. The old Magneto system has been done away with and the latest type of common battery instruments have been put in. The cut-over was accomplished without any trouble and was superintended by Mr. E. H. Long, City Plant Chief.

Announcement is made in the Riverside papers that during the summer a new building is to be erected at that point to be of the same general style of architecture as our San Bernardino Building, a cut of which appeared in the January issue of this magazine. It is hoped that the new building will be completed by November and new switchboard installed.

On April 6th in a fire at the plant of Zellerbach & Co., in Los Angeles, the private exchange of this firm, which was an equipment of three trunks and twenty stations, was completely destroyed. The concern immediately established headquarters in a neighboring building and in four hours from the beginning of the fire a new Private Exchange was at its service and in complete operation.

Announcement is made that the Telephone Company is preparing to make extensive improvements in its lines and office at San Bernardino, Colton, Rialto and Highland. In Colton and Highland new and large capacity cables are to be