To improve the identification and separation of leptons in the hadron calorimeter of DELPHI, one of the four LEP experiments at CERN, the possibility of a direct read-out of the cathodes of the 20,000 limited streamer tubes was studied and successfully tested on a small scale. A larger scale test started in June 1994. This new system which is independent of the present pad read-out provides a "yes/no" information. The combination of both read-out systems makes it possible to use the hadron calorimeter as a track detector. The result of these tests show that the cathode read-out provides a better /spl pi///spl mu/ separation, and improved detection of neutral long lived particles, enhanced discrimination of two showers and a more precise hadron energy measurement. It was decided to equip the whole detector with the new read-out, starting during the 94/95 shutdown.< >