Ellesmere Automatic Exchanges Now In Use

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31865, 18 December 1968, Page 22

Ellesmere Automatic Exchanges Now In Use

Three new automatic telephone exchanges, built at a cost of $290,400 to serve Leeston, Irwell and Springston subscribers, were “cut over” by Mr C. C. A. McLachlan, M.P., at a ceremony at Leeston yesterday afternoon.

The new exchanges would give a fast, modern service without over - crowded party lines, and would give subscribers a 111 service with Christchurch for fire, ambulance and police calls, he said. Mr McLachlan said that the original Leeston exchange, opened in 1902, had 10 subscribers. The three new exchanges would serve 1052 subscribers, who now had the best possible service. Before the change, Irwell calls were made through Leeston, and Springston subscribers were shared by the Leeston and Lincoln exchanges. The conversion was the first “bite” at the conversion, of the Lincoln manual exchange, said the regional engineer (Mr H. W. Wilkinson). Plans were in their final stages for the conversion of Lincoln and Rolleston exchanges to automatic. But, said Mr Wilkinson, it cost a lot of money. Including the recent Southbridge conversion and a share of the $300,000 for a junction cable between Christchurch and Leeston, and serving other exchanges en route, the cost of the exchange conversions was $536,000, or

nearly $4OO for each of the 1380 subscribers. The new exchanges were a step towards the Post Office’s objective of a completely automatic telephone service

in New Zealand, said the director of accounts (Mr A. T. Squire). This was an indication of the importance placed on internal and overseas communications. New Zealand, with more than one million telephones, or 40.6 pel' 100 people, ranked third in the world in telephone density, he said. This figure was exceeded only by the United States and Sweden. The Post Office was progressive, said Mr Squire. The first all-electronic telephone exchange in the Southern Hemisphere would be opened at Paekakariki in about a year’s time. “This is a red letter day for the three districts,’’ said the Ellesmere County Council’s chairman (Mr W. E. Walker). After the old Leeston manual exchange had been cut out, Mr McLachlan telephoned the PostmasterGeneral (Mr Scott) in Wellington. They talked about the weather and the prospects of the Parliamentary session ending.

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