TOLL SERVICE NOW NORMAL

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26125, 30 May 1950, Page 6

TOLL SERVICE NOW NORMAL

TEMPORARY REPAIRS COMPLETED

All toll services and connexions to individual telephone subscribers which were interrupted by the storm were repaired by yesterday afternoon. The repairs in most cases are temporary and there is a possibility of further minor trouble, but repair gangs are busy making the repairs permanent. “We were fortunate that the damage to our services was not as great as appeared likely when the first reports came through,” said Mr L. O. Tyrrell, regional engineer of the Post and Telegraph Department, laM evening. “It should be a great help to the Railways and the Public Works •Departments, as they depend on the toll services in an emergency.

Mr Tyrrell paid a tribute to the men of the repair gangs who, wet to the skin and without sleep for as long as 48 hours, have worked steadily to repair the service. Only one repair gang was able to be sent from Christchurch, but other repair men were in the districts affected by the floods and the storm doing work on major projects and could be diverted for temporary repairs. The eight men who left Christchurch on Friday night had an unpleasant and arduous journey to Arthur’s Pass. From Cass they had to carry all their repair gear and personal luggage to the Bealey. From there they had to push a railway jigger piled with their gear up to Arthur’s Pass.

Gangs from all parts of the West Coast had great difficulties because they were held up by floods in several places and could not get to where they were needed for repair work.