TELEPHONE CABLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 182, 22 April 1918, Page 4

TELEPHONE CABLE

BETWEEN NORTH' AND SOUTE ISLANDS.

Refereiico to the proposed telephone cable between tho North and Sou h Islands was made by Sir Joseph Ward during tho opening ceremony at Heretaunga. post office on Saturday. Sir Joseph Ward, said that all the preliminary steps had been taken, and it was intended as soon, as tho war was over, to establish copper cablo telephonic communication between Wellington and the South Island, fhat was being done for the purpose of enabling people when the af er-the-war development took place to talk to any pari, of New Zealand by telephone day or night (on payment of charges yet to be> fixed) with just as much ease as they could talk from Heretaunga to Wellington. They would be able to talk not only as nbw, to Wellington and Auckland and other parts of the North Island,, but to Christchurch, Dimedin, Inyercargill, tho Nelson and MarlborougTJ district, and tho West Coast of the South: Island. (Applause.) But for the war,. Ihe cablo system would have been started. Cabinot authority had been given. to carry on the work, and. as soon ascopper wire Ml to the price desired it would bo done. fApplausc.) It had been decided also to instal a complete automatic telephone service throughout thei Dominion, and when these plans had been: carried but they would be in the position;, of saying that no country in the world, was ahead of them in regard to tlio important telephone branch of the postal service. The telephone branch already hail attained, in many respects, to dimensions exceeding those of tho great tclgraph service; and tho developments foreshadowed would tend to still greater growth. Tho complete and efficient automatic telephone system would make the> telephone users independent of telephone' exchanges. There would bo no question, of keeping officers on duty at all hours j but at any time of the night or day the telephone-users could for themselves call up their medical man, tho police, or the fire brigade, or keep in touch with their friends, their homes, or their business from any part of (ho Dominion. The proposed new developments should greatly facilitate business transactions and greatly promoto social intercourse throughout tho Dominion. He might add that, it was expected that "in six years they would repay the wholo of the cost of tho copper cable system out of the special earnings that it would contribute to the revenue of the country, and from the standpoint of a fine commercial businesa transactions it had everything to recfiWmend it.