Minister Speaks At Opening

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29754, 22 February 1962, Page 25

Minister Speaks At Opening

When telephones first started to become common, the overhead wires which linked every subscriber to the exchange made an eyesore of the countryside; but the work of the cable industry in developing various types of underground cable had saved the situation, the PostmasterGeneral (Mr Kinsella) said at the official opening of Austral Standard Cables Proprietary Ltd.’s factory at Halswell Junction road yesterday. “The industry has enabled us to group many pairs of wires into a single cable, and then to tuck the cable out of sight,” Mr Kinsella said. There were still many complaints about poles by the roadsides, yet 99 per cent, of the telephone reticulation system now went underground, he added. Apart from rural lines and longdistance runs between exchanges, aerial wiring was now practically limited to short lengths linking subscribers’ premises to cableends.

The factory would supply up to 90 per cent, of the department’s requirements, said

Mr Kinsella. Quality was allimportant, as the Post Office had consistently ordered the best on the ground that it was more profitable to use first-class equipment in the first place than to spend a lot of time and money in repairs. To ensure that the quality was always what the department required, it had been agreed that a Post Office inspector should be permanently stationed with the company. Having a source of cables in New Zealand would mean a great saving to the Post Office in that much smaller stocks would now have to be

carried. In the past, stocks of cable had to be ordered at least a year and often two years ahead. Because of the future reliance of the department on the factory, delivery dates would be important and it was hoped that the company would do its best to ensure that these were kept to, said Mr Kinsella. He congratulated the company on a “very fine factory,” and on the excellence of the working conditions provided for the staff. “We of the Post Office wish you all the best for the future, and trust that our partnership may be a long

and successful one,” Mr Kinsella said. The first official act of the function was the unveiling by Mr Kinsella of a commemorative plaque in the foyer of the building. After this, the Minister and other guests were taken on a tour of the factory. There was an informal reception in the marquee erected for the occasion, and a luncheon with about 100 guests. Speakers at the luncheon were Mr Kinsella and the chairman of directors of the company (Mr T. N. Bore), whose speech is reported elsewhere in the supplement.

The staff were also entertained to the luncheon. It was served in their canteen, where the proceedings in the marquee were relayed by loud-speaker.