Patrick,
> I'm not sure if you can help me but I've not been able to find
> information on when "unlisted" phone numbers first came to use.
> I'm a novelist, working on my third book, and trying to find this > info.
> Can you help or point me in the right direction?
> Many thanks,
> Patricia
> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do not know when they first got
> started, but I can tell you that in the 1922 Chicago Telephone
> Company alphabetical directory, on the page entitled "Services
> You Can Obtain From Our Business Office" non-published/unlisted
> phone numbers were available at the rate of an additional five
> cents per month. PAT]
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: According to telco there is an additional effort involved. Telco estimates a certain time frame required for each directory inquiry call. This time frame is completely lost when telco has to argue with callers about numbers being unlisted and/or unpublished, i.e. time spent listening to callers telling the operator how dumb she is, demanding to speak with a supervisor, insisting 'party would want to speak with me', impersonating a police officer with a 'right to know number', etc. All those needless conversations between caller and operator take additional time. That, telco says, is where the extra money is spent; in dealing with persistent callers. PAT]