To the Bditor of the NomtH-CHINA DAILY News."
Sm—May I be permitted to draw the attention of the Telephone Company to the mistakes that undoubtedly arise through the use of call figures instead of call-names. for the various telephone exchanges. we have. Were there foreign opera-tore the difficulty to which I allude Would undoubtedly disappear but with a native staff to do the work the position is -entirely "diferent. It is certainly easier—and I speak from my own experience aid that of many of my friends—for them to "catch" and remember let us say West 6852 than 36852, Often have found that the employment of the figure-call entailed several repeti tions on the part of the caller; sides which mistaken seonnections are becoming more and more frequent.
Until such time as the whole system is made mechanical Lo. automatic, would it not be the best plan to revert to the name-calls Central, "North, East, West, Lucerne? in Tokyo (for instance) where there are perhaps from eight: to ten times as many exchanges in Shanghai and where the automa-tie telephone is gradually being introduced, the name-call still persists with' advantage for the rest of the system, Tam, ete
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.