British Columbia Telephone Company (B.C. Tel./Telus) Telephone Talk: Bound Issues January/February 1947 Through November/December1948

Half-leather binding. Telephone Talk was the glossy bimonthly publication of the British Columbia Telephone Company. It was written by employees for employees to present information of interest to those engaged in the plant, traffic, commercial, operating, accounting and other departments of the service. Each issue is replete with black and white photos and information on topics such as: company, industry and technological news, traffic levels, expansion plans, personnel announcements, publicity and social events, deaths, weddings, lists of exchanges, and more. As such, these issues serve as a vital preserve of rare and fascinating British Columbia history. This volume covers topics including: Photos of operators at work in Haney, Nanaimo and Port Moody; $35 million improvement and expansion programme; Rotation billing will be inaugurated in March; Ed Tomer terminates 44-year career; Victoria says good-bye to George Gaetz; Daniel G. Houston - he installed phones in the horse-and-wagon days; Retirement of Thomas (Tom) Smith; photos of W.J. Jefree's clothing store and W.J. Pendray soap works, both in Victoria - the first commercial firms in British Columbia to be linked by a telephone line, in 1880; Photo of Nanaimo's first telephone office in 1887 at the fruit store of Mr. and Mrs. E.G. Cavalsky; Photo of splicer's school; Annual report reveals record demand for service as result of great growth of province; World telephone network is operating again; A farewell to Dave Falconer; The telephone situation as we see it today; Hammond-Haney toll charges eliminated; From Office Boy to District Plant Chief - Lindsay Morrison; High school visitors to the Hasting's operator area; New Building Commemorates Name of First Company President, William Farrell - article with photos; A Report on the telephone situation in B.C.; Thirty-Four Years of Phone Service at Parksville; First commercial VHF circuits now in service here; Toll Chief Operator weds Chief Engineer - A.H. Lemmon and Lila Boden; advertising slogans; Wirephoto service comes to Vancouver; Telephony made great Strides during Labelle Career - Eugene P. LaBelle retires after 44 years in telephony *THIS APPEARS TO BE THE PERSONAL COPY OF MR. LABELLE AS HIS NAME IS STAMPED ON TOP EDGE OF TEXT*; A.C. Bull Elected Federation President; Photo of lovely twin sister operators in Vancouver; Photos behind the scenes at the Victoria Plant Building; New Dial Offic, 'Cedar', Now in Service; 800,000 phone calls per day in Vancouver; Wage increases for 1,000 plant employees; Meet the Executive Assistant's Department - many photos; Nearly 3,800 Bayview phones 'cut' to Cedar; Revenue accounting girls adopt three orphans; replica's of 3 recent billboards, 2 of which include suggestions for party line use; misc. photos of Fraser Valley operators; 1947 was record year despite shortages; *Car phone* service now available - with photo; Leo Griggs, Nanaimo Plant Head, retires; Fifteen years ago; Three blind mice in South America - Kathleen Stephen and Catherine Wilson recall their trip; Ads advise fewer calls, shorter calls - with 2 ads; "Newton" joins our telephone family - story and photos; 1947 progress was offset by record demand annual report points out; 37 years of ups and downs - Percy Turley, cable-splicing foreman; Miss Gertrude Greaves honoured; Photos of Seymour (Vancouver) operators; photo of radiotelephone transmitting station at Lulu Island; various photos inside Kamloops office with staff; article on John (Jack) C. Hemer; Operators learn Human Nature's Queer Quirks; Newspaper columnist visits new William Farrell Building; Trans-Canada phone system construction job resumed - text and photos; photos of staff and facilities at Princeton; Spirit of service triumphs over flood - photos of washed out Mission bridge and more, plus article; PNE float photos; Introducing the company's new business library; New submarine cable links Vancouver and North Shore - photos and text; T. Percy Waters Book