The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1903 TELEPHONIC.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 2746, 3 February 1903, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1903 TELEPHONIC.

As our readers are aware there has been much trouble and inconvenience caused by our faulty lelephonic Service. One could hardly use the instrument to Christchurch or Little Eiver without hearing other people's business, and divulging one's own, and the muddle and confusion at certain times of the day were astounding. Representations were made to headquarters and our case considered, the result being that; the Departmental Electrician was sent to remedy matters. He has been some weeks at work all along the line and on Sunday the batteries were put in, and it was found secret and noiseless telephonic communication had been obtained. It was, of course, necessary to test the now system on Sunday when the line was perfectly clear, This is a most satisfactory ending to our many complaints regarding our telephonic communication. To have secret and noiseless telephonic speech it is necessary to do away with the earth as a medium for the return current, and substitute a wire. To run another wire to Christchurch from Akaroa is rather expensive, so the Telegraph Department, get over the difficulty by using the present telegraph wire as the medium for the return telephone current. The telephone and telegraph is worked on the same wires, but by an arrangement of impedance resistance coils. A person using the telephone; hears absolutely nothing of the telegraph signals or any induction from parallel lines, and telephone ringing

does not interfere with the telegraph work. The circuit is also arranged so that Little River may have a subscriber speaking to Akaroa at the same time as another Little River man is talking to Christchurch without hearing each other speaking. This practically means that Little River is able to divide the circuit telephonicatly, but the telegraph signals go straight through from Christchurch to Akaroa.