THE AUTOMATIC TELEPHONES FOR LONDON.
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sm,—It is reassuring to learn from the Post Office authorities that the 11,000,000 worth of automatic telephones about to be installed in London are to be "manufactured by a Liverpool firm—a British company employing British labour." It is reassuring, yet I must own that the statement is per- plexing too.
I have before me a copy of last September's Telephone Engineer, published in Chicago. This publication contains what is termed, I believe, a " splash " article headed :— "London Orders Automatic. World's Largest City Places Initial Order for 50,000 Lines of Strowger Automatic Director Equipment—Triumph of Engineering Foresight." The article begins :—" Sfrowger automatic equipment will be installed by the British Post Office in the London area as a result of negotiations recently concluded by the Automatic Electric Co. and its foreign interests and the British telephone heads." The writer goes on to make several statements which cannot fail to arouse the attention of others besides the Postmaster. General himself. He says, for example, that "F. L. Baer, assistant chief engineer for the Automatic Electric Co., and E. A. Mellinger, director and special sales representative of the Automatic's foreign interests, demonstrated the adapt- ability of the Director system to the complex requirements of the London network in 1922 " ; that "when arrangements were concluded for the initial order during the recent London visit of A. F. Adams, chairman of the board of the Automatic Electric Co. and president of the Automatic's foreign companies, the Automatic's engineering staff attained a new record so far as the size of the field for its equipment was concerned."
I may add that the article is quite charmingly illustrated with photographs of Mr. Baer, described as "Assistant Chief Engineer, Automatic Electric Co." ; of other representatives of that company and of two members of the Automatic Telephone Manufacturing Company, Ltd., of America. I confess to a certain difficulty in reconciling the tone of this commercial paean with the sober Post Office declaration that the new equipment is being "manufactured by a Liverpool firm—a British company." Perhaps the Postmaster-General will cause the light of an inquiry to fall upon our bewilderment.,
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