1914: The first automatic (dial) telephone exchange in Western Australia
2014 was the 100th anniversary of the cutting over of Perth's Central Exchange, the first automatic exchange in Western Australia (US Strowger/Automatic Electric step by step type). In 1914, the Perth Central Exchange was the biggest in Australia, the first to service a central business district and installed only two years after Geelong (the first public automatic exchange in Australia) but almost no information had been published about this contribution to Australian telecommunications until promoted on this site in 2014. Even Telstra neglects to mention it in its online history. To be fair, the exchange cutover coincided with the declaration of WW1 so its significance was eclipsed by that momentous event.
Automatic telephony stalled in WA until the second was built at Cottesloe in 1930.
As an aside, Australia's first automatic exchange was actually installed in the Sydney GPO in 1911 by Automatic Electric as a company demonstration model. It was, in effect, a PABX that served PMG staff and remained in service for many years.
Central Exchange in Murray St Perth was cut over on 26 September 1914 with 3200 subscribers and, as mentioned above, the biggest in the country at the time and the first in a CBD. It had two major problems from the start, the first being customers unfamiliar with dial telephony but, more seriously, insufficient switches provided by the US contractors for the predicted telephone traffic. Complaints skyrocketed but after a year or so, and a lot of legal wrangling, the equipment was upgraded and it all settled in.
Central continued to serve a substantial part of the Perth CBD for seven decades. It was finally decommissioned in 1987 and the building eventually on-sold. It is now (2017) used as business offices but externally appears almost the same as it did a century ago.
Central continued to serve a substantial part of the Perth CBD for seven decades. It was finally decommissioned in 1987 and the building eventually on-sold. It is now (2017) used as business offices but externally appears almost the same as it did a century ago.
Back row L-R: E. Harpham, H. Hokin, J Boileau, J Yates, C.S. Anderson E.J. Burlington
Middle row L-R: J. Thompson, S. Cranwell (S Aust), R.G.H. Gulliver (Qld), A.U. Lyddall (Qld), T. Johnston, C.W. Ive (Qld)
Front row L-R: C. Greaves (Tas), H.B. Barton (Foreman), A.C.G. Rosser (Engr for equip), H.S. Janes (Instal Engr Chicago), F. Kessler (Installer Chicago), G. Treacher, N. Stone (S Aust)
Sitting L-R: E. Wilson, M. Foley
Image source: John F Moynihan
Note: M Foley (bottom right) had a long career in PMG. He was senior officer on the installation of WA's second exchange - Cottesloe - in 1930. B 23/10/1891 D? Joined the PMG 1/5/1906. 1920 appointed "Mechanic" Central Exchange. 1930 described as Installation Engineer.
An image of similar equipment can be seen at this USA site:
https://ethw.org/w/images/2/20/Step-by-Step_--_Dallas_Telephone_Co._1919.jpg
https://ethw.org/w/images/2/20/Step-by-Step_--_Dallas_Telephone_Co._1919.jpg
Some of this information was derived from a detailed research article by J F Moynihan on automatic telephony in Australia which can be found here
DIAL TONE COMES TO PERTH...
This article kindly provided by Ross Herbert.
When Central Auto exchange was installed in 1914 the provisioning of first selectors was totally inadequate to meet the demand during peak periods and this produced a large number of complaints from disgruntled subscribers. At least, in part, the cause of much of the congestion was due to the fact that there was no dial tone provided in exchanges built by the Automatic Electric Coy. plus the lack of awareness of the average subscriber in how to use the telephone correctly.
As a result of the congestion AE admitted that they had grossly underestimated traffic and in 1915 they upgraded the equipment at their own cost. The installing engineer, H. Janes, in response to the complaints made an earnest plea to subscribers in the West Australian of 16 Feb 1915 p2;
"He asks, now, that each subscriber, on preparing to raise a number, shall first hold down the hook with a finger of the right hand, keep it down while he raises the receiver to his ear with his left hand, then release it and, only if he hears a quick click precede a period of silence, go on further with his call in the usual way. In such a way can a subscriber tell whether his line is working clear or not."
Listening for the click followed by silence was apparently the only indication that a first selector had been seized.
Whilst I haven't been able to track down precisely when Central was equipped to provide dial tone it appears to have been around 1940. This is supported by an article in the West Australian of 28 Aug 1941 p8 which indicates that a program of retro-fitting dial tone had been under way.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47158534?searchTerm=dial%20tone
It seems that the first exchange in Perth which came already equipped to provide dial tone was at Cottesloe in 1930 as detailed in the features of the new exchange in the West Australian 1 Jan 1930 p11.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32341555?searchTerm=Cottesloe%20telephones
Siemens in Germany were apparently more on the ball because they introduce dial tone to their auto exchange equipment around 1908.
In 1908 Siemens introduced the "dial tone" in Germany. This one an essential step into automating the job of the telephone girl: the dial tone that one heard when lifting the phone from the hook was the equivalent of the voice of the operator asking which number to call.
Source: https://www.scaruffi.com/politics/telephon.html
Automatic telephony tones (This note also appears elsewhere on this site)
To advise users of the progress of a call, a range of standard tones were used. This Youtube clip gives a very clear rendition of tones from around 1950. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=223k6xxIkbo
It is British Post Office but virtually the same as Australian. In fact, the voice is possibly of the Australian actor Gordon Gow who worked in the UK in the 1950s. Gordon was the first voice of the speaking clock here installed in Victoria and NSW in 1954.