Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 16, 2007, Winnipeg, Manitoba respective editor Buzz Currie 697 7577 b 1 Buzz. Currie free press. My. Ca sunday december 16, 2007 Winnipeg repress. Com Winnipeg repress. Com hello there. July 1, 1875 Alexander Graham Bell used a bidirectional " Gallows Telephone to Send " voice like sounds but not Clear speech. Bell received a Patent for the electric speaking Telephone on March 7, 1876. Private businessman Horace Macdougall brought the first telephones to Winnipeg in 1878. Bell bought him out in 1881. Ida Cates became Manitoba s first female operator in 1882. Telephone operators were dubbed the hello girls. By 1884bell added Brandon and Portage la Prairie to its phone service. Calls Between Winnipeg and Selkirk began in 1887. Manitoba government bought out Bell on Jan. 15, 1908. Saskatchewan and Alberta governments followed shortly after. Winnipeg was the first City of its size to launch automated dial service in 1926. Before that an operator s assistance was required for anything other than calling telephones across a shared party line. Early telephones had a " Magneto or hand ranked Generator to produce a High voltage alternating signal to ring the Bells of other telephones on the line and to Alert the operator. Its was privatized in 1997 after the Filmon government decided to sell off its to private shareholders. In 2004, its acquired Al Stream formerly at t Canada for $ 1.5 billion and merged the companies. Today its is the third largest telecommunications provider in Canada with 7,000 employees. It provides local and Long distance phone services television service internet service and wireless services including digital pcs cellular and paging. Since acquiring Al Stream in 2004, the company is known As its Al Stream inc. W hat a tangled web it weaved and not just with criss crossing Telephone lines in the 100 years since Manitoba telecoms services was launched Jan. 15, 1908. The first strands were actually spun earlier. In 1905, with his popularity flagging Manitoba Premier Rodmond Palen Roblin was looking for an election Issue. In late november he spoke in favour of a government owned Telephone system for the first time according to Philip eylers highly regarded University of Manitoba thesis 1972public ownership and politics in Manitoba 1900 1915. The Price of Telephone service should be made so Low that Labouring men and artisans can have the convenience and advantage of telephones As Well As the merchant the professional Man and the gentleman of wealth and Leisure waxed Roblin. R. P., As he was known was a True Blue conservative and free Enterprise Chest thumped with the Best of them. But government ownership was a popular idea at the time. Government Utility Winnipeg Hydro had already begun in 1906, supported by local businessmen for its cheap Power rates. Most european governments already owned phone companies. And voters were getting restless. Manitoban were fed up with Bell Canadas rates and service. The Brandon Sun went so far As to Call Belles service putrid. It May have been just the typical problems associated with introducing a new capital intensive technology. But Bell had also ignored Rural Manitoban because there were too few people to make it profitable. The powerful farm lobby group Manitoba Grain growers association started twisting governments Arm. Roblin tested Public opinion with a referendum in the 1906 municipal election asking shall the municipality own and operate its own telephones Roblin envisioned a system where municipalities owned local service and the province connected them to each other and the world. Continued please see its b 2 Manitoba calling a Century ago the phone company was born Bill Redekop a Crew of Telephone linemen at work in Austin in the summer of 1916. Ida Cates Telephone operators at a Multi position switchboard in the 1960s. Notice the purse holders on the chairs. Its archives its archives ;