Telephone and Telegraph (1946)

your life [Music] work the miracle of highspeed wire communication is commonplace today lift a telephone receiver and the world is at your fingertips speak and your voice spans oceans and continents with the speed of life just a moment for you I'll have to call minutes Calla I connect you call London right on a telegraph blank and your words appear by Modern Magic on paper thousands of miles away yes it is hard to realize that a century has passed since Samuel Morris invented the telegraph in 1844 early equipment was crude and handmade but telegraphy made rapid progress as the years went by and went forward with America's expanding Frontiers today Western Union operates a vast network of 2 million miles of wire Furnishing Swift reliable communication Financial quotations are transmitted from exchanges in key cities to ticker tape receivers in broker offices throughout the United States Cuba and in Canada each year many millions of money orders ranging from small sums to thousands of dollars go over the telegraph wires even the nation's time depends upon wire signals from the official Naval Observatory day and night in editorial offices everywhere teletype machines bring in the news of the world for millions of readers and every year more than 200 million telegrams passed through the hands of operators in the traffic department here in this operating room hundreds of girls receive and transmit messages on batteries of teleprinters and Multiplex machines those with ability and experience may be promoted to become supervisors on the floor or instructors in the schools which Western Union maintains in many cities here the trainees learn by practicing on actual equipment generally a high school education is desirable the teleprinter keyboard is similar to a typewriter as the keys are punched the distant receiver records each letter on a moving paper tape an operator removes the tape and gums it to the familiar yellow blanks the letters NL on this tape identify the message as a night letter the operator must know how to handle the various classifications such as Day letter night letter deferred cable and special listings to develop a trainy into a a competent operator of the tele printer and Multiplex machines requires from 2 to 3 months job opportunities for men are found in the maintenance of all transmission equipment and in the operation of the relay offices in the carrier system Department trained technicians maintain equipment that transmits hundreds of messages over a single pair of wires in the experimental Laboratories College trained research Engineers work constantly to find new methods and techniques to provide quicker service one of these developments is Radio beam telegraphy transmitting 1,40 messages in each Direction simultaneously through a series of high Towers another is the fact Sim telegram whereby a written message is dropped into a transmitter and automatically reproduced by a receiver men all were needed at the switchboards which control circuits between offices and in supervision of departments as well as general executive positions typical of these is the traffic manager who is responsible for the efficient dispatch of all messages through the traffic department construction of New Branch offices and maintenance of existing buildings and properties is the function of the plant Department new equipment is installed and wired by equipment men and installation experts from this department teleprinters and Multiplex machines are in constant use and require inspection by trained testing and regulating men so that sudden breakdowns may be avoided in the commercial Department are handled most transactions with the public in addition this department employs about 15,000 Messengers to pick up and deliver messages here excellent opportunities are provided for young men to acquire business training because of the cont tax established while delivering messages more than a million prominent businessmen began their careers as Western Union Messengers the scope of the modern Telegraph and cable is worldwide in America alone 30,000 Branch offices and agencies offer many opportunities for managers operators repairmen and other trained Personnel to render efficient service to the public it's a far cry from present day Telegraph facilities the early beginnings of the 19th century similarly it's a far cry from the first telephone developed by Alexander Bell in 1875 in the early days switchboards were operated by men and service was crude today modern facilities handle more than 100 million calls every 24 hours these calls flow at the rate of 1,000 per second through a telephone network using enough ire to string align to the sun more than 90 million mil away this tremendous system provides job opportunities for half a million employees with a wide range of interest and capacities from outdoor work with field Crews to intricate research work in the experimental laboratory to study these job opportunities let's imagine that the town of Homeville is to receive a new and larger telephone exchange first the engineering department prepares the plans for the buildings and transmission systems and arranges for plant construction much of this technical work requires specialized training then skilled Craftsmen build lines install equipment and maintain it in operating order after construction is completed a large number of operators are brought in to staff the switchboard under the guidance of Supervisors these operators have been trained to provide courteous and Speedy service to be an operator an applicant must have a clear voice normal hearing and eyesight a high school education is an advantage about 225,000 operators the most important factor in efficient exchange service are employed by all companies they also handle all longdistance and special calls even in communities served by dial telephone and automatic systems many operators are required for information and special service with the traffic Personnel on hand the new home Bill exchange is ready for full scale operation a clerical force is organized for computing charges for service preparing and mailing builds and collecting the money as well as all other office work costs and income are analyzed and statistics prepared for administrative purposes now the new home Bill exchange is a unit of the worldwide telephone Network to supply this far-flung network with the latest improvements research engineers in Laboratories constantly experiment to discover new techniques new materials and quicker methods of production the dial telephone and automatic switchboard are among the better known accomplishments of these skilled Engineers these are men who must possess the creative mind and an everlastingly curious approach in addition they are highly trained in scientific and Technical Fields while a college education is helpful a young manner woman can start in the telephone or Telegraph Industries after graduation from high school and work his or her way up for technical work an understanding of mechanical drawing Elementary electricity physics and Mathematics is very important all new employees in these industries are trained right on the job or in company schools to perform specific tasks one of these special jobs is that of the lineman his duty is to help build new lines and repair those which have been damaged in the spring and summer he fights storms of rain and wind in the winter there is ice snow and freezing Gales opportunities in all jobs for promotion are plentiful because most companies prefer to advance their own Personnel whenever possible dependability is an important factor in judging an applicant's aptitude and just as the public depends on prompt service and communication the Telegraph and telephone companies in turn must depend upon reliable capable employees to keep these nerve systems of our social and economic life functioning properly throughout the country men and women can find excellent job opportunities in the Twin fields of wire communication these are jobs with stable employment for a wide range of aptitudes and Ambitions if you were the sort of person who finds satisfaction in contributing to the service of other people everywhere then telephone or Telegraph communication may become your life work [Music]