FIRST TELEPHONE CONVERSATION

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26031, 7 February 1950, Page 4

FIRST TELEPHONE CONVERSATION

Addington-Kaiapoi Claim NO OFFICIAL RECORD FOUND One of the difficult tasks for Mr A. S. Helm, who is writing the history of the New Zealand Post Office, is that of establishing the first telephone conversation in New Zealand. The first claim which he examined was one which has been accepted by the department as fact. It was that the first conversation was between Kaiapoi and Addington in 1877. This claim was backed by the “Bulletin,” Sydney, in December, 1931, replying to a correspondent. Mr Helm, however, has found that the first official reference to that telephone found by an investigator was dated May 15, Wellington, Shag valley, Roxburgh and Tauranga have been among the places mentioned as having the first telephone conversations. . .. . To investigate the Kaiapoi-Addmg-ton theory Mr Helm recently read every line of “The Press” for 10 months in 1877. The only reference to telephones he found there was in early July. •It was: “Reports from Melbourne state that experiments are being conducted with that new and interesting invention the telephone.” The oldest account authenticated so far was found in the “Otago Daily Times” of February 4, 1878, where it was reported that on the previous Saturday a telephone test was made between Tokomairiro (now Milton) ana Dunedin, over 37 miles of telegraph line. The newspaper said: “A large number of questions. were asked ana each was replied to instantly by persons in Milton.” . _ The practical use of the telephone for the first time was—in the absence of proof to the contrary—on February 25, 1878, when a voice went by wires between Roxburgh telegraph office and Cargill and Anderson’s sheep station at Teviot,. six miles away. Historians are faced with no aispute about the first .telephone exchange. It was opened in Christchurch on October 1, 1881. with 27 subscribers. The opening dates for the other main centres were:—Auckland, October 24 1881, 26 subscribers; Dunedin. April 26. 1882, 56 subscribers; Wellington, March 1, 1883, 31 subSC Mr 6 Helm, vjho is on the public relations staff of the department, is inthe early stages of a three-year assignment. He does not claim to be a complete authority on, the historical work yet but after his recent research said he was "the greatest living authority on the Christchurch butchers’ picnic of 1877.”