CO129-495 - Governor Sir Clementi - 1926 [11-12] — Page 278

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changes a good many years ago.

The chief advantages of these

system over the Magneto are that it centralizes the battery 269 power required for operating the system, and so dispenses with

individual batteries at the subscribers' offices; it gives

the operators greater facilities for supervising the connections

and it reduces the work of the user of the telephone to a mini-

mua. To give the calling signal at the exchange it is only

necessary to lift the telephone from its support and the re-

placing of the telephone gives the clearing signal. The satis-

factory working of a C. B. exchange, however, depends very largely

upon the human element.

Wrong numbers are frequently

given, due probably in many cases to the calling subscriber not

speaking distinctly, and conversations are interrupted and some-

times broken off by irregular operation.

(13). To eliminate these difficulties the Automatic system has

been invented, in several forms, and is now being installed on a

very large scale in most of the countries of the world. In this

part of the globe it is already in use at Harbin, Darien,

Shanghai and Manila, and installations are being established at

Yokohama and Tokio. The system so far as local calls are con-

cerned is operated entirely by the subscribers. To give a call

a dial is turned successively to the digits of the wanted sub-

scribers number. Audible signals are given in the calling

subscriber's telephone indicating whether the called subscriber's

line is available or engaged. If disengaged the bell of the

called Subscriber rings practically simultaneously with the

dialling of the last digit. On finishing the conversation the

telephone is restored, and the Automatic apparatus engaged in

providing the connection is released. If desired, another

connection can be "dialled" at once.

(14). In operation the Automatic system has many advantages

Over the Manual. Connections are established easily and

quickly, the circuit is entirely under the control of the