Show Chinese Ch Ilese Telephone Operators Must Memorize l 2703 Names SAN FRANCISCO By FRANCISCO By The Associated Asso Asso- Associated Associated Management Press Pr Management s. of the Chinatown telephone exchange of San Francisco is rather a family affair It was In effect Inherited by Kern Loo Leo Chinese youth and his sister Florence Florence- Loo Leo as part of the assets of the es estate es- es estate estate tate of or their wealthy father Loo Leo Kum Shu The elder eider Loo Leo who died last Decem Decem- December December ber was the first agent for the pacU- pacU Pacific ic Telephone tz A Telegraph company in Chinatown and was for 28 years manager of the exchange He began bc an anto to teach his youngest son Kern the business at the age of eight and a few years later his daughter Florence began be be- began gan to learn H. H I to Loo Leo drilled Into them not only the details ot or the management and switch switch- switchboard switchboard switchboard board operation but also inculcated in them the esprit de corps of of tele tele- telephony telephony phony and de devotion to the service At 21 Kern when his father died was as made manager and Florence be became be- be became became came came chief operator There are 19 telephone girls all Chinese and each of them knows by heart the names and phone numbers of the 2703 connections A Chinese patron who takes down the thee receiver and says give nUe me Lee Lin Kal gets his connection Just as quickly as the English speaking patron who calls by numbers The girls switch s from English to JO to Chinese In a flash and many times Umes a minute In the directories used in Chinatown the patrons are listed listed-ac listed ac- ac according cording to location of their residence Instead of alphabetically There Thue is no Information as each operator Is supposed to 00 have memorized memorIzed memorized all the numbers The peak hour comes between 8 and 9 o o'clock clock at due to calls relating to the theatre and social en en- en |