THE CHANGE OVER.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 152, 28 June 1924, Page 6

THE CHANGE OVER.

MANUAL TO AUTOMATIC. nVE-FIGUKE SYSTEM. CHANGING TIIE XI.VBER.S. Although no definite date can be fixed by the Telegraph Department foi the change over from the manual to the automatic system, good progress is being made and the allotment of new numbers for subscribers in the Auckland Telephone Exchange area is lx>iiio proceeded with. When the change over is made all numbers will necessarily he of live figures as the .-ysteni is a ','iveflgure one. with provision for an ultimate capacity of !l!l.!)0!l. At the present time there are about 8000 subscribers in the Auckland area and the rate of growth is such that a four-Ilium system with an ultimate capacity of 9999 would very soon require to be altered lo provide for a live-figure system. The first figure dial must be either hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands. As far as possible the last three figurei in the new numbers allotted will be the same ;ia i n the existing number of a subscriber, and business firms ordering stationery for use aftei the cutover can obtain the new numbers by applying to the District Telegraph Engineer. Existing party-line subscribers will not be converted to automatic in the main cutover, but will be made automatic at a later date. A number of these party-lines will require to he regrouped before conversion, so that all parties connected to each party-line may be served from the same cable box, that is. the parties will require to lx> in the same immediate vicinity. As the residential rate is now only £S 10/ for an individual line it is thought that a considerable number of existing party-line subscribers will prefer to take individual connections. Those who intend to take this course would do well to make application now as it may be possible to allot the automatic number and include it in the new directory to be issued at the cutover, and the connection be converted to an individual automatic connection at that date. Private Branch Exchanges. Business firms now provided with private hranch exchanges will retain the manual system for intercommunication within their premise*, but the trunk lines connecting with the exchange will be converted to automatic. As the operator on the private switchboard will dial the numbers instead of getting them through exchange as at present, where morn than one trunk, circuit to the exchange is available only one number will be listed- Subscribers desiring communication with thai firm will dial that number and the exchange apparatus will automatically select the idle trunk, that is if the firm has live trunk lines and four of them happen to be engaged. In other words a calling subscriber dialing the number would automatically be switched to the fifth trunk and a call made on that. Private Switchboards. The additions to private switchboards to provide, the apparatus necessary for converting the trunk lines to automatic are now being made. New automatic telephones will be at all subscribers' premises and a dale will be tixed later when the subscriber is to discard the manual 'phone and commence using the automatic.