THE OPERATOR.
Where the work of the Dispatcher is considerable, he will require the aid of one or more operators in the work connected with the transmission of orders. In view of the importance of his duties and of the fact that he may in turn become Dispatcher, the operator should be selected with care. He too should have a clear head and correct habits, be a good pen-man, an expert telegrapher and a sound-reader. It will be his duty to transmit the orders, or write them down as transmitted by the Dispatcher, and to follow them through the subsequent steps until the process, up to delivery, is complete. He should not be charged with message or clerical work where it may interfere with his principal duty.
The station operator who receives the orders must also have part in the subsequent steps, and on him is placed the duty of delivery. Besides the personal and professional qualifications required for the other, he should, with him, be thoroughly conversant with the rules and methods prescribed for this service, as well as with the time-tables and general train rules and the character and designations of the trains. A station operator may do much to keep business moving by advising the Dispatcher of arrivals, delays, and other things occurring near him, which have a bearing on train movements, but which the letter of his instructions may not require him to report. One who does this intelligently prepares and recommends himself for advancement.
It is quite important that operators be impressed with the gravity of the work in hand. Their apprenticeship and training should be such as to assure this as far as possible, and before appointment they should be thoroughly examined as to their qualifications in all respects, and afterward constantly supervised by competent officials. Young persons readily learn to telegraph, and the lowest compensation paid is something considerable to the youth just leaving home, while the salaries usually paid to railroad operators are not such as to offer fair inducement to men of years and experience to accept or retain these positions. Hence many of our operators are comparatively young. It is no disparagement to them to say that they have not ordinarily the steadiness of character and sense of responsibility which we expect in maturer years. Without these it is difficult for them to have a proper conception of the magnitude of the interests dependent on their attention to their duties, and of the importance of exactly carrying out details which to them may seem almost trivial. We have here a cogent reason for so systematizing this business as to render the working of it as nearly automatic or mechanical as possible, and thus eliminate as far as practicable the risk arising from the deficiencies of the human agency. In all systems worked by man this risk will be found. Better pay will procure better men, greater care and greater conscientiousness. Men laboring for a bare pittance and with little hope of advancement in the future do not usually cultivate these qualities to the highest point. Thus we are brought to one of the many points where the balance must be constantly sought between economy of expenditure and security of management. Each railroad officer must work it out for himself.
Operators should aim at a high standard of qualification and attention to duty. If the result is not greater remuneration in this service, their efforts may be rewarded by promotion in other directions. Reliable men are always wanted, and the consciousness of doing one's best is a source of satisfaction of more value than money. A careful study of their special work will develop a sense of its importance, leading to better attention to duties and preparation for advancement. Operators will therefore do well to make themselves masters of their business, rather than rest satisfied with a merely mechanical attention to prescribed methods, without an intelligent apprehension of their significance.
Telegraph offices should be carefully guarded against the intrusion of outsiders or employés off duty. Conversation or other interruptions may distract the attention at a critical moment and cause an operator to write an order incorrectly or allow a train to pass which he should stop.