THE POST, FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 1952
__ Complete down to the final de-
tail, the main accounting depart-
‘ment of Commonwealth Telephone
Company started to function in
Dallas on Monday morning, two
weeks ahead of schedule,
PHONES ARE ON
This spacious well-lighted room
was completely empty and un-
finished a week ago, but now hums
with the activity of more than
thirty employees who will be per-
manently employeed in Dallas fol-
Company Has Grown From 6000
Stations In 1928 To 23,000
Constant Improvements Have Been Made
+ Since Entering Local Field In 1928
~ Since the Commonwealth Tele-
phone Company was acquired by
Senator Sordoni in January 1928
together with the Luzerne Tele-
phone Company in 1929 and the
County Telephone Company in
1935, which in September 1950
were merged to form the new
Commonwealth Telephone Com-
pany, constant improvements have
been made to rehabilitate and ex-
tend facilities. Old chestnut poles
have been replaced with creosoted
long leaf yellow pine poles—cable
and copper wire have replaced the
‘iron wire throughout the system.
In 1928 there were approximately
6,000 stations; today there are over
23,000 stations with approximately
2,000 deferred applications, the in-
stallation of which are continually
being made. :
In 1928, the companys ex-
changes were manually operated;
today, of its thirty-seven ex-
changes, twenty-six provide dial
service with four more exchanges
planped for dial conversion this
year. Since the end of World War
II, $3,000,000 has been spent on
improvements, dial conversions and
extensions, and for the 1951-'52
period, an additional $1,500,000
will be spent for the dial conver-
sion of Dallas, Dushore, Center
Moreland and Orangeville and for
the construction now underway, of
a new Main Office and district
office on Lake Street, Dallas.
The company’s phenomenal
growth can be attributed to many
factors among them being its pro-
gressive spirit of plant and ser-
vice improvements providing satis-
fied subscribers with metropolitan
service ‘second to none.” Recog-
nition and deep appreciation is
given the management and em-
ployees of The Bell Telephone Com-
pany. They have always been not
only willing but anxious to co-
operate with the independent tele-
phone companies helping them to
solve their engineering problems,
giving the benefit of their finest
engineering talent without charge.
Without the Bell Telephone Com-
pany’s help the independent com-
panies would be as they formerly
were just country lines instead of
providing the same type of metro-
politan service as the public ex-
pects.
Then too, Commonwealth has
been quick to seize upon the so-
cial evolution of the past few dec-
ades which, reversing the trend
of population for more than a
century, has found people moving
from the cities into the suburbs.
The growing population, improved
transportation, the decentraliza-
tion of industries, the automobile
and good roads have brought about
this shift in population. Good tele-
phone service has been the final
key in unlocking to countless thou-
sands of families the gateway to
more gracious unfettered living.
This is the story of the men,
who fashioned that key—who, with
aggressive, far-planning manage-
ment are building not for today
alone but for the needs and ex-
pansion of the Commonwealth
Telephone Company in the many
years ahead. It is the story of
our men who, in fair weather or
storm, work on the lines that your
calls may go through. It is a
tribute to their loyal service.
In Bermuda
Rev. Robert D. Yost, pastor of
Shavertown Methorist Church, left
Thursday at noon from the Avoca
Airport for LaGuardia Field and
flew to Bermuda for a ten day
trip. In his absence District Super-
intendent Rev. Roswell Lyons will
occupy the pulpit Sunday,
lowing the transfer of Common-
wealth Telephone Company to its ,
main office on Lake Street.
Beyond the accounting depart-
ment are the billing, engineering,
drafting and plant “maintenance !
offices.
The building is completely air-
conditioned. ' Large windows pro-
vide ample natural light requiring
artificial light only on dull days.
A maple furnished dining room
complete with electric range, re-
frigerator and other equipment is
provided just across the hall for
those who carry their own lunches,
want a snack or cup of coffee.
During Construction Days Last Summer
This is a section of the cheer-
fully lighted billing office equipped
with the most modern billing ma-
chines. Henceforth telephone sub-
scribers through the 6,000 square
mile area served by the Common-
Billing Department In New Headquarters
wealth Company will receive their
bills in envelopes bearing a Dallas
postmark.
More than 3,000 pieces of mail
will go out of the main office
daily and an equally large vol-
{
{
ume will be received, another, con-
vincing reason why Dallas Post-
office should occupy its own mod-
ern building to keep pace with
the expansion of private enter-
prise here. .
A. J. SORDONI, Jr., President
Adequate Provision Is Made In
New Building For Future Growth
Thirty Of Its Thirty-Seven Exchanges
Will Provide Dial Service This Summer
Designed by Lacy, Atherton and
Wilson, the New Commonwealth
Building on Lake Street is a thing
of beauty as well as utility.
Its two-story colonnaded en-
trance on Lake street is flanked
on either side by a curving brick
and stone stairway leading to a
stone landing. Here the United
States Geodetic Survey has placed
a bronze marker revealing the ele-
vation as 1141.978 above sea level
and also giving the exact compass
points North, South, East and West.
From the landing, broad steps
lead to the entrance to the foyer
where customers can transact their
business with the company at a
circular counter.
To the right of the desk are the
offices of John-:Landis, manager of
the Dallas District, and to the
left are the offices of Senator An-
drew J. Sordoni, chairman of the
Board; Andrew J. Sordoni Jr., pres-
ident, and Harold Payne, vice-
president and general manager.
Interior decoration throughout
is in some shade of green ranging
from deep Williamsburg green on
the panelled interiors of the execu-
tive offices to lighter brighter
shades in the engineering, account-
ing, administrative, and commer-
cial offices, first floor.
The western side of he entire
first floor, has an exposure almost
entirely of glass, houses the ac-
counting, engineering, billing, and
plant maintenance departments.
Corridors are of buff tile.
Also on the first floor are re-
tiring rooms with mirrored walls.
A thick glass powder table backed
with mirrors, stretches along one
side of the women’s retiring
room.
There is also a maple furnished
dining room, with electric stove,
refrigerator and other accommoda-
tions for employees who choose
to have their lunches there.
The first aid room has a chiro-
practic table where any employee
JOHN LANDIS,
may receive adjustments twice a
week at company expense by a
trained practitioner.
The second floor with the ex-
ception of the area housing air
conditioning equipment, a main-
tainance office, and a vault room
for company records, will be taken
up entirely by new" dial equipment
for the Dallas district when it is
cut over this year.
This compact equipment room on
the western side of the building
is completely encased in glazed
tile for ease of maintenance and
to prevent dust from harming the
delicate equipmnt that will be
housed there.
There are six rows of fluorescent
lights, each row containing six-
teen fixtures, producing 55 to 60
foot candles at all points where
maintenance men may be called
upon to work on the dial boards.
Foresight of Commonwealth -
management is evidenced here, in
a provision for future growth of
the community. There are at
present 650 lines running into the
old Dallas central office. The raw
equipment room will have 1,500,
with facilities for the accommoda-
tion of 3,000 more if necessary
BUT provision has also been made
so that with some additional con-
struction on either side, 9,000
more lines can be handled.
Basement of the building houses
supply rooms and presently stores
more than $80,000 worth of dial
phones which will be used in the
conversion of the Dallas district
to dial. Also in the basement are
the two mammoth stoker fed boil-
ers that heat the building, a garage
for thirteen trucks and shop for
maintenance of equipment.
Behind the biulding is the brick
cable storage shed with access to
the Lehigh Vallev railroad, and
storage facilities for poles. Con-
crete parking and unloading areas
surround the entire plant.
Dallas District Manager
$