History -- increase in pay phone from 5c to 10c? [telecom]

I remember knowing where the only 5 cent phone in my city was in 1967.

Definitely different places at different times. It had to go through the regulatory agency in each state. Even within a city, phones were converted whenever the lineman got to them.

I've seen the same thing in London; one place calls were 3d; another two stops on the underground and they were 4d.

-- Julian Thomas: snipped-for-privacy@jt-mj.net

In the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State! -- -- Windows: From the people who brought you EDLIN!

***** Moderator's Note *****

Please tell us what "3d" and "4d" mean, and what those coins were worth in U.S. money at that time.

And, don't knock EDLIN: I wrote my first config.sys file with it (sniff).

Bill Horne Temporary Moderator

(Please put [Telecom] at the end of the subject line of your post, or I may never see it. Thanks!)

It took a very long time because each state utility commission had to approve it. As I recall, the last holdout was Louisiana, like a decade after everywhere else.

"d" for the UK (old) penny comes from the latin "denarius". From 1950 to the mid 60's a pound (240 pence) was worth about $2.80 in USD, so a penny UK was a little more than a penny US - 4d was about a nickel.

English coinage was at least as full of oddities in nomenclature as it was in division.

_ schrieb:

This is getting very off topic now, but I have a rather funny story from my first visit to England. With my metrical brain, I had practised several hours before I dared to visit a grocery store to buy "half a pound" of cheese. Everything went well until the nice lady had cut of a good looking piece of cheese, put it on the scale and then my whole world broke down: "That's seven and three eighth ounces. Is that fine with you, sir?" What is a regular guy supposed to answer to such a demanding question?

Tor

***** Moderator's Note *****

I suppose we could tie it to telecom by surveying the cablemen in the group, and asking them to describe the smell of their least favorite manhole.

Bill Horne Temporary Moderator

(Please put [Telecom] at the end of your subject line, or I may never see your post. Thanks!)

snipped-for-privacy@bbs.cpcn.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@s50g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:

I found the local coin telephone rate in Louisiana in 1974 at five cents. This was during basic training at Fort Polk. Where the fort was served by a Bell System Associated company located in Leesville not far away. I don't know when, or how much, the five cent coin paid call rate increased to.

All coin telephones on post were served on a manual dial basis (No dial pad on the coin phone equipment). To place a call, one would pick up the G type handset, wait for the local operator to answer on her cord board incoming subscriber lines. Then advance the call in the conventional operator dial manner, or manual ring down if to another pay phone. I don't know if there were any regular 1FR subscriber lines were full manual.

I was never able to get inside and visit that local telephone office. I wanted to take a look at the local company operator switchboard, and compare them to the switchboards at the AT&T Long Lines overseas that I worked with during thata same time frame.

I do recall three digit dial subscriber lines in Colorado. To call complete, the US or overseas operator dialed the local toll center (303+NXX), and pass the three digit number to that operator.

Bill

If our moderator and the group will tolerate another "odd English money" item I'll offer this mathematics class story problem:

"The coalman delivered seven sacks of coal at thirteen shillings and tenpence, ha'penny a hundredweight. Your Mum gave him a five-pound note, then bought a pair of shoes for one guinea and gave you half a crown pocket money with the change. How much did she have left?"

And we complain about Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollar coins!

Now flash the switchhook to recall the operator!

***** Moderator's Note *****

I'll let it by just because it's a sunny day and I spend my honeymoon in Great Britain. ;-)

We don't need to worry about Scagewea coins: today's kids need to learn about how fast interest daily interest compounds, and how much they can save by buying down their mortgage - or (here's the telecom hook) by taking advantage of discount off-hours rates.

Bill Horne Temporary Moderator

(Please put [Telecom] at the end of the subject line of your post, or I may never see it. Thanks!)