ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING, WEDNESDAY SEPT. 11, 1912. AUTOMATIC TELEPHONY.

A copy of a report just laid before the House of Representatives concerning the telephone systems of Europe and America, is to hand. The report contains much valuable and practical information, gathered at first-hand by Mr T. Buckley, the Department's Chief Electrician, on his recent trip through Europe and America. Mr Buckley is probably the best practical expert on these matters in the Dominion, and his report is well worth perusal. Space prevents our dealing with the many telephone and telegraph systems touched, on; but one system demands more than passing notice. We refer to the automatic telephone exchange which Mr Buckley strongly recommends shouJcl be installed in the four large centres, and also in Blenheim, Hamilton., Masterton, and Oamaru. The cost for the larger centres will be £40,000 each, while for an exchange like Blenheim it will be about £4000. If these recommendations are adopted, iti will bring New Zealand into the front ra'hk as regards telephone equipment; the telephone girl will become as extinct as the nioa, and prehistoric telephone plants such as Blenheim patiently endures will perhaps find a resting place in the Colonial Museum. The automatic system is a wonderful piece of mechanism, and has now passed the experimental stage and become firmly established as a commercial success. Over 300,000 are at present operating in ninety American cities, and two exchanges (Chicago and Los Angeles) have each more automatic telephones in _ operation than-there a*re telephones in all New Zealand. With this new system tihe subscriber himself, secures his connection by manipulating a dial affixed to his telephone. There are no attendants at the central exchange, but the mechanism responds to the manipulations of the subscriber, switches him through to the number indicated, rine;s the distant subscriber's bell, and when the conversation ends, effects the necessary disconnection. It also indicates when a subscriber is engaged, and in fact gives a prompt and absolutely accurate response to the subscriber's demands. All that) will be missed under the new system will be the vexatious delays, the delightful uncertainty, arid, last, but not least, the dulcet! tones of the telephone "Miss.'-' As Blenheim has not yet enjoyed the latter luxury, the loss will not be .felt so much as in the large centres) Although the initial cost of installing the new plants will be somewhat; heavy, the enormous saving in working expenses, and the more efficient., service secured, will more than justify the outlay. It has been found that month after njonth it costs more to maintain and operate IIjOOO subscribers' connections under the manual system than it does to maintain and*operate 22,000 automatic connections. This has been the experience of Chicago and other centres,. For - t about .15,000 automatic connections in San Francisco it takes a. staff of 40, consisting of mechanicians, apprentices, testing pfficials, linemen, etc For ah exchange like, that of Auckland, with under 5000 subscribers under the old system, there are about 90 female attendants, and quitie an array of assistants, supervisors, mechanicians, linemen, etc. It will be exceedingly gratifying to know that Blenheim is to be the scene of one of the first experiments in the new system. # As a new plant is absolutely imperative, and the rooms in the Government Buildings have been made ready to receive it, we sincerely hope that the necessary authority will be promptly obtained, and the apparatus cabled for'without delay. As Mr Buckley points, out, an ordinary out-of-date manual system for Blenheim will cost £3000, so that in the case of the local exchange everything poin/te to the automatic system being installed. Mr Buckley, in his report, deals in a masterly fashion with the whole question of telephone and telegraph installations in Europe and America, and the Department is to be congratulated on having such an efficient and capable officer in charge of its electrical concerns.