MR. J.K. LOGAN, I.S.O.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 563, 19 July 1909, Page 5

MR. J.K. LOGAN, 1.5.0.

COMPLIMENTARY SMOKE CONCERT. Staffs of the local post and telegraph otiices tendered a complimentary smoke concert on Saturday evening y'to Mr. J. K. Logan, superintendent of telegraphs, who has been honoured by the King with the Imperial Service Order. The-, function was held in th'e . Oddfellows' Hall; Lambton Quay, and was attended by Nieprcsentatives of all branches of the service. Mi. J. A. Hutton (Chief Postmaster) presided.

Mr T Bucklej who proposed tho toast of "Our Guest," remarked that forty-five years ago Air Logan had joined a telegraph company in Glasgow. His early career in Otago, when thinss were not nearly so 'smooth as now, was not known to everyone. In'due time Mr. was transferred to Wellington as superintendent of telegraphs, and he abolished the cablo station at Blenheim. There was an outcry at tho time, but that step had been fully justified Numerous fcientific improvements had been made in recent years, and Mr. Logan had seen to it. that the New Zealand telegraphs made use of the new ideas to full advantage The introduction of: the common battery, system m Invercargill and Timaru was due to Mr. lean's desire to do the best for the Department and the public Tho speaker's asoeisation with their guest had been most pleasant, and every member of the service respected Mr Logan, whose kindliness was an unfailing characteristic (Applause) On rising to respond, Mr Logan was accorded hearty applause He stated that he was grateful to those m authority and to the Right Hon Sir Joseph Ward, whose recommendation to His' Majesty had resulteJ in his receiving the Imperial Service Order. He accepted the distinction without question, it was not proper for a subject to bandy words with tbo King (Laughter.) He took it as a compliment to the Post and TolegTaph Department' that their late esteemed secretary, Mr Gray, bad been one of the first two officials in the service to receive tho Order. * Could thej not accept this as an augury that the;, were serving the Dominion fairly well? Ho arrived in Dunedin ip September, 1864, and read in a newspaper that the General Government vv.is commencing fhe erection of telegraph wnes betwten Dunedin and Invercargill, and Dunedin and Chnstchureh The Southland Provincial Government had a lino fiom Invercargill to tho Bluff, and a lino between Christchurch and Lyttolton was undeitho Canterbury Provincial Government , Their chairman, - now Chief Pcstmastei, had worked on the Bluff line, and was also well acmSSinted with tho small beginnings of the Tost and Telegraph Department On arrival, " tho sneaker apolicd to Mr Sheatli, the first telegraph engineer of the General Government, lor a job as an operator lhcro was no opening, however, and he was told that hard woik would bo involved on tbo line. He replied hard work was the ono 'thing that ho liked moie than all ottos (Laughter.) He was then engaged under the late Mr. Smith, mechanician to tho Dopartment, <md took his swag with a number of other hands Ho was in Dunedin when communication was opened witu Christchurch and Invercaigill, on May la, 1860, and ho had helped to bung one of tho lines into tho office Ho mado application for further employment, and was given a very iubordinato position ill the Dunedin office at 30s. per week Ho was glad of the billet, howevci, and, 111 about fom months time, he '.Mimed an inspectorship It. was connected 'with r tho, construction of- a Mine •■from.-Milton -to .Qucenstawn, ; a .distance of, 160 miles. "The- position -carried.. £2so. a •year; '[which salary was afterwards increased :to £340. .Until :about : 1879, before the/-telephone era . in 'telegraph: engineering/-whs'- slow.. The jfirst pair of-telephones -which- . wero : . a success were 'made '. by a • mechanician in Dunedm in 1878' from drawings ' itu the "Scientific American." '■Thcy:Cwefc■■oxporimented s)vith in Wellington before'.'his Excellency Governor and others; by Dr. Lemon. first telephone office in -the, .world, perhaps,

for -tie transmission of public telegrams like a telegraph office was opened at Portobello at'the. beginning of 1879. ■ Maoriland had been keeping in the front rank' as' far as telephone and telegraph r developments were concerned. In Invercargill ana Timam they now. had "the last word" in telephono switchboards,, for they had recently fitted up the central battery system. Telephonic communication was maintained between the largo. centres, and so long ■ ■ as people wore prepared to.pay the high fees which were required to meet the'expenses of tiheso lines, uiere was no reason why they should- not be extended. The annual vote for now works had been growing rapidly for years, especially in regard to telephone exchanges. After construction work was finthe, expenditure still went on because of deterioration. Allowing for 3000 or 4000 new subscribers per year, and'estimating the expenditure at £25 .for each, one could arrive at the approximate annual requirements of the-Department. According to last year's report, they, how had 295 'telegraph offices, and 1468 telephone bureaus, a' total of 1763 offices. "Automatic" was now in the air, and New Zealand was threatened with what the.Americans termed "Hello, girls!". "However, there "is no immediate danger of that in New-Zealand," said Mr. Logan. , (Loud applause) ™ ' -■■; '■'.'. t, V Other toasts were: "The-. Acting/Post-master-General," proposed by tho. chairman, and responded to by Dr. Findlay, and "Tho Department," proposed by Mr. J._ Alexander, and responded to by Mr. -W. R. Morris (acting-secretary). •-,-,• ' A programme of musical and other items, some of them/original and highly amusing, was contributed to by Messrs. Barnes, J. Ross,. T: Buckley, Dall.Fraser Thomson, Stuart, Leslie /Hill, Cutfprth, Harrison, Carr, ConneD, and D. .;■. Kenny (who also played the accompaniments). The proceedings terminated with- a verse-of the National Anthem.'