Prance 15$ 



rooms in Pans. When a subscriber at any switch-room prefers a 

 complaint, the chief operator puts him through on one line to the 

 special switch-board at the central and gets through herself on the 

 other. The inspector then switches them together, and listens 

 while the subscriber states his grievance and the chief operator 

 makes her defence. If necessary, the working operator respon- 

 sible for the subscriber's line is allowed to give evidence. Having 

 heard both sides, the inspector delivers judgment and enters the 

 proceedings and result on a form which is sent to headquarters. 

 In this miniature court of justice 90 per cent, of the complaints 

 are settled in about four minutes each, a rate of progress which 

 has not, the author understands, yet been equalled in any court 

 in Britain. In this instance Justice is truly blind, but is provided 

 with particularly long ears. Ultimately, perhaps, there will be no 

 going on circuit the judges and juries will sit in London, and 

 loud-speaking transmitters and receivers will bring to them and 

 an inquisitive audience the evidence and speeches, and convey to 

 the litigants the verdicts and decisions. There is nothing impos- 

 sible in this it could be done to-morrrow. 



The use of voltaic batteries for ringing is a grave disadvantage ; 

 but a worse exists. That is, that subscribers must be asked for 

 by their names and addresses, not by numbers. In Berlin the 

 service suffers from a plethora of numerals ; in Paris they have 

 none at all. This was the original way, and for a long time it 

 resulted in no inconvenience, as the operators learned the names 

 and switch-board numbers of new subscribers as they came on ; 

 but, now, when the Paris system comprises some 14,000 sub- 

 scribers and several hundred operators, including necessarily 

 many juniors, and when, moreover, old switch-rooms have been 

 closed and their lines concentrated at new ones, it may well be 

 imagined that confusion must result. The subscribers, however, 

 resent any suggestion that they should be numbered the lists 

 at present contain names, trades, and addresses only and the 

 Government is weak enough to refrain from making the change. 

 Imagine the long formula that must be spoken by a calling sub- 

 scriber in order to discriminate between seventeen Rousseaus, 

 fifteen Bertrands, and thirteen Blancs ; the mistakes likely to be 

 made by an operator who thinks she knows the number of the 



