HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1973-06-28, Page 37Telephone service started
with only 11 subscribers
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Telephone service first became
available in Exeter in 1888 after
the erection of a long distance
line by the Bell Telephone
Company, from London to
Clinton through Lucan and
EXeter.
A small switchboard was in-
stalled in Robert Hicks' jewellery
store on Main street and the
telephone directory for 1889
recorded eleven subscribers.
Mr. Hicks was appointed
manager of the local office which
was open for service from 8 a.m.
until 8 p.m, on weekdays, from 2
to 4 p.m. on Sundays and from 10
a.m. until 12 noon and 2 to 4 p.m.
on holidays.
In 1891 a long distance line was
erected from Exeter to Dash-
wood,
Mr, Hicks remained local
telephone manager for 15 years.
Telephone linemen were still
dotting the countryside in their
continuous efforts to expand
telephone facilities. One of these
men was Wilfred J. Roden, who
Telephone Manager
In 1905, Mr. Marchand, above,
bought the Main St. jewellery
store of Robert Hicks and took
over the managership of the Ex-
eter telephone exchange which
was located •in the store.
did much work in the Exeter
Office in years to come.
Recalled Mr. Roden, "Just as I
was going to- climb the pole, I
happened to see a large snake at
the bottom. I put three sections of
pruners together and made a
noose. When Mr. Snake rose its
head up, I lassoed him, and, hung
him from the ladder behind the
truck . . It turned out to be a
blowing adder."
Mr. Hicks decided to retire
from business towards the close
01 1905, and sold his interests to
another jeweller, Arnold Mar-,
chand. Long-familiar with the
intricacies of telephone affairs
from his years as manager of
Exeter Times-Advocate Feb. 2,
1918
King storm had this district in
his power the end of last week. On
Saturday the trains were three to
four hours late. The stores closed
about 8:30 Saturday night, a thing
never before known in Exeter on
a Saturday.
Exeter Times-Advocate Nov. 16,
1925
Mr. Herman Hodgson of
Centralia broke his wrist while
cranking his car,
Exeter' Times-Advocate Feb 16,
1908
A rink of Exeter curlers con-
sisting of Messrs. Geo Anderson,
RN, Taylor, Alfred Taylor and
Fred Bawden drove over to
Seaforth, to take part in a bon-
spiel in that town. In the first
round the Exeter rink won from
Fergus 2043; from Seaforth 21-
14; but were beaten in the semi-
finals by another Seaforth rink
2240
Port Elgin's exchange, Mr.
Marchand willingly took over
Exeter's switchboard along with
the jewellery business,
In 1908, the Thames Road
Telephone Company, organized
by Dr. H. K. Hyndman, began
connecting with the Exeter ex-
change. The following year, the
Kirkton and Exeter Telephone
Company also made connections
here as well as at St. Marys,
Mitchell and Granton.
Mr. 'Marchand's duties were
becoming more arduous,
especially since he began
providing 24-hour service in
June, 1911. Under his direction
also, Exeter's 100th telephone
was installed in 1912, and a third
independent company, the Hay
Township Municipal Telephone
System, was connected to the
Exeter switchboard.
Early in 1914, the local
jewellery business changed
hands for a third time when Mr.
Marchand retired and James
Lawson took over both the
jewellery business and telephone
managership. Shortly af-
terwards, he bought the Carling
block from George Bedford, and
moved the telephone office to the
rear of his new store.
Here the exchange remained
until April 1925 when the Bell
Company decided to open an
office, (one door south of the old
office on Main street) exclusively
for telephone business.
Mr. Lawson's cousin, George
W. Lawson, had been living in
Exeter since 1925, having
returned from Saskatchewan
where he had been homesteader,
schoolteacher and telephone
employee.
Asked by his cousin to join the
telephone office staff Mr. Lawson
became a member of the Exeter
telephone crew receiving in-
struction in switchboard
operating from Mrs. Ruth
Andrews, operator and acting as
night operator until August 1928
when he was appointed local
manager of the exchange.
Exeter felt depression in its
telephone way of life. Mr. Lawson
recalled: "My duties in the office
as time went ' on became, if
anything, more exacting, par-
ticularly so in the collections
when the subscribers were
unable to pay their bills each
month. To show you how anxious
they were to keep their telephone,
they brought in coppers and
postage stamps to help pay their
rental. However, our office lost
quite a few telephones despite my
most strenuous efforts to retain
them,"
An upward swing exerted itself
towards the close of the thirties,
with over 300 telephones in use by
the time of the Second World
War.
In 1942, the Bell Company
erected lines to provide telephone
service from the Exeter ex-
change to the R.C.A,F. flying
training school at Centralia, and
also provided direct' connection
between Centralia and the
associated landing field at Grand
Bend.
Towards the war's end, Exeter
became a company-operated
office with Mrs. W, H. Chambers
as local representative; George
Lawson continued as night
operator until his retirement in
December, 1946.
On December 10, 1952 the
common battery system of
telephone operation was in-
troduced in Exeter, Battery
boxes were centralized at the
telephone exchange and battery
boxes and cranks were
eliminated from subscribers'
telephones which became
smaller and more compact.
Exeter's 1,000th telephone was
installed in 1951.
Mrs. Willa Wuerth was placed
in charge of the office following
several changes in supervision
since the days of Mrs. Chambers,
including successively Miss D. D.
Morrison, Miss A. W. Whitten,
Miss A. W. Wood, Miss M. L.
Hodgert, and Mrs. M. E. Holtz-
mann.
Miss M. E. Wells, worked in the
Exeter telephone office from 1948
and was chief operator from 1954
until 1962 when Exeter's
telephones were converted from
common battery to dial
operation.
Direct Distance Dialing went
into effect at the same time as the
equipment was cut over to dial
and all Exeter telephone num-
bers were changed from two
letters, five digits to seven digits.
Exeter exchange's free toll
calling area was extended on
November 15, 1964 to include
Hensall, Kirkton and Lucan and
on November 6, 1966 to include
Dashwood.
As of December 31, 1972 there
were 2,235 telephones in service
here.
Section page 17 TWOETER TIMES-APVOcATE JUNE 28, 1973
TELEPHONE EXCHANGE - In Exeter in 1938 the telephone exchange
was much less sophisticated than it is now. Sitting in front of the
magneto switchboard is operator Olive Lawson (Mrs. Garnet Hicks).
With her are Mary McKaig, chief operator, and branch manager,
George W. Lawson.
MANAGER CHANGES - Mr. Marchand who managed the Exeter
telephone exchange in the jewellery store, retired in 1914 and sold his
jewellery business to James Lawson, who took over the exchange.
ding in the front from the left are Greta Hodgins, June Borland, Joyce
Willard, Nora Wilds and Marion Hodgert, In the back row left are Ber-
nice Finkbeiner, Betty Allison, Mary Wells, Betty Rowcliffe and Betty
Mair,
LARGE TELEPHONE STAFF - In 1950 it took a large staff of operators
to manage the Bell Telephone exchange in Exeter. Sitting in front of the
No. 1054 magneto switchboard from the left are Donna Wright, Doris
Mitchell, Mary Hannigan, Helen Passmore and Helen Shapton, Stan-