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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1961-02-02, Page 6British Phones -^^ An American View British pay telephones have everal complications unfamiliar most Americana. In addition • putting the money in the slot nd dialing, you have to con- iend with two buttons, marked A" and "B" When your party answers, rot press the "A" button and They can, hear you: Until you yress it, you can hear them but snot vice. versa. And once you prcess that "A" button, your 66 oney is gone for good, It can be confusing if you forget to push. Once iii Birmingham, I yelled fruitlessly over the phone • to an apparently deaf press offi- cer wlro kept saying, "Hello, Hello, is anyone there?" Then he hung up, for 1 Dever did re- member that "A" button. But it was my fault; there were in- structions galore in the booth. "B" button is for getting your money back if you, get the wrong number or no answer. It does not. suffice merely to hang up the receiver or jiggle the hook, How- ever, the money that clinks back is four large copper pennies — ebout five cents American — which means the call cost you half what it would in the States. On the other hand, those pen- nies are big and heavy, especial- ly if you have numerous calls to make. They can wear holes in pockets, Four coins — and four chances to miss tate slot —. on each operation! ....Telephones a r e nationalized here, owned by the government and operated by the post office. Two -Needle Set 936 1415:440.Wkeag. Baby cables create rich, tex- tured effect — big, big pompon adds fun 'n' fashion. JIFFY -KNIT cap and mittens —smart for skating, skiing, win- ter! Don on two needles only. Pattern 936: directions small, medium, large included. Send THIRTY-FIVE CENTS (stamps cannot be accepted, use postal note for safety) for this Pattern to Laura Wheeler, Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St, New Tor- Tnto, Ont. Print plainly PAT. ERN NUMBER, your NAME and ADDRESS. JUST OFF THE PRESS ! Send now for our exciting, new 1961 $ll•eedlecraft Catalog. Over 125 al.esigns to crochet, knit, sew, em- broider, quilt, weave — fashions, hnomefurnishings, toys, gifts, ba- zaar hits. Plus FREE — instruc- tions for six smart veil caps. Hur- 57, send 25c now! They make a tidy profit, nearly £17,000,000 ($47,600,000) for the 1959-60 fiscal year. My family now understands why — those trans-Atlantic telephone calls do mount up when you have some- one inschool on the other side, Moreover, charges for trans- Atlantic calla now are reversible, a point every parent needs to know. You sit in London, perhaps a little lonely yourself and 'the phone rings. "Will you accept a collect call from St. Louis?" the operator asks. "Er , , , of course," you stam- mer, Who knows what the dire need may be at the other end of the line? It's Li per minute, you rernind yourself, and then the seconds start ticking away. The polite formalities are scarcely over before you hear an omin- ous "beep, beep, beep." We all know what those beeps mean - three minutes have fled past. We have conversed nearly 10 dollars' worth, yet this con- versation has not yet got down to brass tacks. Nevertheless, firm contact is established, and several sets of beeps later, the fond farewells can be completed. As I said, telephones chalk up a tidy profit. Perhaps it would be a good idea if advance dialogue scripts were required from both parties before any call couldbe placed. After all, that would prevent wasted Words and those awk- ward pauses when you can't think of anything sufficiently Weighty to say, writes Henry 5,. Hayward in the Christian Science Monitor. But don't get me wrong., Do I enjoy talking to St. Louis?? You bet I do — every wandering, un- planned moment of it! It's not what you say; it's hearing the voice of a loved one that counts. Moreover, we really are for- tunate, Officially 49,000 Britons will have to wait a long time before their phones can be in- stalled, and another 106,000 still are in the process of getting theirs. This is despite the fact that 400,000 new phones are in- stalled here each year. The problem is that the post office estimates every new phone installed . for a new subscriber costs about £120. Officials say an average of only one or two calls per day are made from each private phone as it is, Peo- ple will have to do better than that, and niy family for one is cooperating to the utmost to bring up the national average. Oddly enough Britain is not one of the foremost telephone owning nations. In the United States, there is a phone for 38 out of every 100 persons. Here, it's only 14 out of 100, ranking this country behind Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, New Zea- land, Denmark, Australia, and Norway, but ahead of West Ger- many. Italy has only 6 phones per 100 people, but Italy is in- stalling new phones faster than anyone else. Another British telephone practice that surprised us is that the bills come in only every six months. However, within the next four years, a great effort will be made to ensure that everyone gets his bill every three months instead. I don't know whether to be happy or sad about this. Modern Etiquette By Anne Ashley Q. Is it considered really pro- per for a man and his wife to kiss when meeting or leaving in public? A. There's nothing at all wrong with this, but be sure it's a "public" kind of kiss. Long, tender kissing is better done in private. MAN OF CENTURY — Former President Harry 5. Truman was nomad `Man of the Century" by the. National Israel Bond Organization at a dinner in his honor. He was presented with priceless objects from ancient Israel by Abraham Harmon, left, Israeli Ambassador to United States. SEALING A FRIENDSHIP —Goliath the walrus lends qhelping back to Beatrix the seal, who climbs up to reach a handout at Rome, Italy, zoo. L H RONIC LFS T,G1NGERFARM erssawatellna D Ctecka Come_.and pay - u- s a visit and you will see "how to live better e-lec-trically" ! Which doesn't mean we have suddenly acquir- ed a lot of unnecessary new- fangled gadgets. We don't pos- sess an electric wiener grill or an electric can -opener or any- thing fancy like that. We are still capable of turning the lever on a hand -powered can -opener and the oven or a pan of boiling water continues, to satisfy us for cooking a few hot dogs, How- ever, where a small outlay really makes for comfort and. conveni- ence we are all for it. So, my bedroom -den has become quite a family joke. The room start- ed out as an ordinary den, then, because I am so restless at night I set up a single bed in it. That . way Partner and I don't disturb each other. Partner sleeps like a log anyway — and can you tell me, to a restless person, of any- thing. less conducive to sleep than to have a room -mate in a state of deep -breathing oblivion. So the den has gradually be- come workroom, bedroom, study, or what have you, and is gener- ally spoken of as "mother's room". And, the number of elec- trical conveniences it contains has, as I said before, become a family joke. Here they are. An expanding desk lamp, a bedside reading lamp and a night -light — plus the usual permanent overhead fixture. I also have my electric sewing machine, record player, clock and bed -side radio. And to ease my old and aching bones an electric blanket and a warming pad — sometimes both in use at the same time. Tomor- row, to my way of thinking, comes the last word in conveni- ence — a "princess" extension telephone. All things consider- ed, from now on, it shouldn't be too hard to do what the doctor ordered — that is, stay in bed until the old ticker has simmer- ed down and learnt to behave in an orderly manner. So that's where I am, right -now. Oh, I had it coming to me, be- lieve me. I had been given re- peated warnings to slow down or else. But like so many other people, as long as I can stay on my feet I keep going. High blood pressure is an insidi- out complaint — generally a per- son acts and appears to be per- fectly well, one of the side ef- fects being any amount of rest- less energy. And there is a compulsion ... just as one na- turally drives a car faster when the gas is running low. I was well aware of the chance I was taking so I was constantly on the alert for danger signals. By that means I was able to pull up just short of the border -line, How- ever, only the' fact that there wasn't a vacant bed saved me from being sent to hospital. That, and because I wasn't yet an "emergency". To stay home is far more convenient as it doesn't leave Partner entirely on his own. We are really getting along very well, Dee and family were here Friday night with a good supply of groceries and rein- forcements for the "frig — plus a savoury meat loaf. It made me feel hungry just to smell it. Our only worry was the telephone. Partner isn't in the house all the time and for me, getting, out of bed every so often isn't exactly convenient or advisable, But with a bedside phone I'll be liv- ing the fife of Riley. Daughter said I should have a portable TV -1 That, I would consider, an unjutifiable extravagance. Anyway I manage to get out to the livingroom for an occasional half-hour programme; If not, I can live without it. I can read, write, knit, do crossword puzzles and listen to first class music by record or radio, What more could a person ask? Partner is still able to take on baby-sitting jobs. This morning he was over to a neighbour's at 6.15 a,m.! The man of the house had to catch a plane at Milton, en route to the far North where he has a special electronic as- signment, Naturally his wife wanted to see him off at the air- port and was prepared to take the two children with her — just under two and four years. When we knew what she had planned Partner insisted on going over so she wouldn't have to wake the children. As it happened Partner took on more than he knew. Yesterday these same neighbours adopted a seven - weeks old puppy of undeter- mined origin. The children slept but the puppy didn't, Partner was quite busy with newspapers and an old floorcloth. However, our young neighbour got her farewell trip over in comfort despite the early hour and a howling wind, She doesn't ex- pect to see her husband again until mid-March, But she is good stuff — no complaints or self pity. She accepts the fact that in her husband's line of work he must go where he is sent — even to the Arctic. Two years ago he was in Regina f o r several months, That time he rented his house and took his family with him. It turned out not to be such a good idea. The tenants skipped out one night leaving hydro and telephone bills and two months rent still owing. The police never were able to catch up with them. "Mr. and Mrs. J,L.B." — my ever faithful fan -mail friends, where are you? This isle first time in ten or twelve years I haven't heard from you at Christ- mas time. I do hope you are both well. I missed your letter and card. When The Queen's Truro Was Mate It's Happened to most or us at one time or another — being becalmed in a train for what seems like ages due to an en- gine failure of Some sort, But when it happens to the ruling Monarch in her own country— well, that's ,different! And happen it did to Queen Elizabeth II on a recent eve- ning. She was bound back to Sandringham rafter a short visit to London, and her royal coach was attached to the regular 4.36 train from Liverpool Street Sta- tion to King's Lynn, hauled by a British -built diesel locomotive, Just south of Audley End, in. the Essex countryside, 42 miles out of London, Diesel No, D-5667, coughed t0 an unscheduled hall a hall mile from the station. To paraphrase "Casey Jones," Hogger Stan Fenn looked at the old -pressure gauge, and the oil pressure was.. low, In fact, it was nil. "I felt awfal," confessed Stan afterward. "I kept thinking of Her Majesty sitting back there and probably wondering what a clot I was." There Stan and the Queen and everyone else in the train sat for what seemed like a very long and embarrassing 56 min- utes, Except for the guard, who sprinted 300 yards along the track to a signal box to give warning up and down the line that the Queen's train was stall- ed, We are not told what Her Majesty did during the delay. Perhaps she continued' with her work on state papers, read a , book, or justgazed dreamily out the window at the same strip of countryside and wondered when the train -royal trains normally are "dead on time"—would get rolling again, writes Henry S. Hayward in T h e Christian Science Monitor. The latter is what some of us would do, of course, and as an old train enthusiast myself, I really don't mind -when there's a delay;' it means prolonging a method of transport which I en- joy that much longer. At any rate, when the Queen finally alighted at King's Lynn, she s.+.11ed at the crowds. And "Pardon nu, but can I Inter- rupt your social conference?" everyone; was sure they'd hoI41 dinner for her at Sdndringhamw She may even have had a snaels. on the train, during the wait. Oh yes, as seems usual .ors such occasions, the rescuer of the Queen's train was a reliable steam engine 'that sprinted UPI from Cambridge and took over from Stan's deflated diesel. So the good old Iron horse, now nearly extinct, triumphed again. From Stan, no comment. Easy -See Diagrams PRINTED PATTERN 4828 SIZES 2 -10 See the diagram — even a be- ginner can stitch up this pretty jumper in a day! Curved neck reveals blouse beneath, back has inverted pleat and half -belt. Printed Pattern 4828: Chil- dren's Sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Size 6 jumper takes 11/4 yards 54 -inch; blouse takes 1 yard 39 -inch. Send FIFTY CENTS (stamps cannot be accepted, use postal note for safety) for this pattern. Please print plainly SIZE,. NAME, ADDRESS, STYLE NUMBER. Send order to ANNE ADAMS, Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St„ New Toronto, Ont. SEND NOW! Big, beautiful, COLOR-IFIC Fall and Winter Pattern Catalog has over 100 styles to sew school, career, hllf-sizes. Only c. ISSUE 4 — 1961 British Youngsters By TOM A. CULLEN, Newspaper Enterprise Assoc. London — For British young- sters who want to fell trees in the Borneo jungle, the nation's 'little peace corps" provides a necessary outlet. Surprisingly, there are more than enough youths who want to do this or: Wire a village for electricity in Ethiopia. Introduce softball in the Nor- thern Rhodesia copper belt. Lead an expedition in the mountains of the Southern Ca- meroons. Build bridges in Nigeria. Try a million and one other tasks in !faraway places with strange sounding names. Americans, contemplating a peace corps of their own, might take a lesson from the British program behind all this, the Volunteer Service Overseas. The V.S.O. started two years ago with the support of the Bri- tish Council of Churches, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the British government. At present, the organization has 85 British boys and girls in ' 25 countries and plans to send another 150 abroad later this year. There is a long waiting list of applicants for V.S.O. About half ore high school graduates seek- ing a period of adventure betore embarking on university detects; the others are industrial appiren- tices and. trainees, The only material compen a.' tions offered these youths while abroad are room, board and pocket money. These are provid- ed by the government or agetiry in the territory where they work. Their fares are paid by the V.S;O. or British concerns which employ them. - • They must be between 18 and 24, physically lit, with average academic ability and good char - actor, Parents' consent is require ed for those under 21. All of these volunteers serve a mini- mum of a year. Get Off Streets And Into The Jungles BRITISH YOUTH teaches play in Northern Rhodesia Applicants are "invited" into the program by the participat- ing governments, They know from the start why they ; are wanted and what is expected .of them. Participatsng4overnments aro told that the boys and girls gen- erally have little experience but a strong sense of service, ideal•• ism or eagerness .to learn. Typi- cal of the volunteers is David Howell, 18, an apprentice wl'o went from the work bench of a Manchester engineering program to an industrial training center in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. David teaches African 'rcaincus how to use tools; he barters with Indian contractors for raw materials. He converted an old fire engine into a truck because his center could not afford to buy one. In the evenings David teaches boxing and gymnastics at a boys' club in the slums. Another youth, Colin Henry, built himself a house 5.0 miles from the nearest white mien in British Guiana before turning his attention to the Amerindians on his reservation. Before leaving, he construct- ed a new wharf, laid the basis for small timber industry, set up a village' council, opened' a, training center for women, start- ed a housing program. In his spare time, he taught, Volunteers sent to the furthest point in the program, the Falk- land Islands 8,000 miles from Britain, have travelled on horse- back to teach children of shep- herds and shear sheep' in their spare time. "Young people must be given the opportunity to prove them - Selves," says Alec Dickson, 44, the V,S.O. founder and all ad- mitted . "do -goo der." "At the. same time they can bring the World's peoples closer together."