STEPS FORWARD

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 45, 21 August 1930, Page 20

STEPS FORWARD

LONG-DISTANCE SPEECH

MOkE IMPROVEMENTS

■ A statement concerning further improvements in the speech efficiency of long-distance telephone, line's was made by. the Postmaster-General (tho Hon. J. B. Donald) on Tuesday.

''In continuation of the Departnicsst's policy of. providing an efficient network of longdistance telephone lines throughout the Dominion, tho installation, of a siugle. channel carrier telephone System between Napier and Wellington was recently completed,''' said Mr. Donald. '''This ihstaUatroh, which is. how open for' traffic, provides a, direct telephone circuit between papier ,ahd Wellington, . tho efficiency of • Which is .much superior to the circuits that have bebn available in 'the. past for telephone communications between those centres. Tlie speech volume pi' the.new'circuit is now equal to, if not better than, that provided oyer short:lines _neh as .those between Ndpiet aiid. Hastings. Besides effecting a decided improvement in the telephone .service, _etT,vcen Napier and Wellington; tlie carrier current telephone..circuit will effect a considerable, improvement in the audibility and general reliability, of Speech between Gisborne aiid .Wellington ,aiij_botween -tastirigs arid Wellington., Toil traffic between Hastings and Wellington will now be transmitted over the new circuit-yia.;Napier instead of via Dannevirke-and Palmerstdn North as hitherto: ;■''

"Within.three months from tho prdsent_ date it. is intended to install two carrier telephone systems between Gisborne and Napier, and an additional carrier circuit between Napier. , and Palmerston North. These additional facilities will effect a further marked improvement in Gisborne communications to and from Wellington and Auckland, and practically all other, important centres throughout the Dominion. In addition, they will improve the service generally in so, far as- they will reduce the delays on long distance traffic to and from Gisborne, Napier, and Hastings, and the telephone exchanges in the surrounding districts. IN THE SOUTH ISLAND. "In the South Island voice frequency amplifiers havo. been . installed at Timaru and at Christchurch, dud a carrier telephone system has been established between Clirist-liurcli and Greymouth. By means of this additional equipment the Department has made available two high-grade telephone- circuit, between Christchurch and Dunedin; and two similar circuits between Christchurch and Greymotith. 11l addition to duplicating the lines, the new systems have greatly improved' the overall efficiency of tho channels which will result in a considerable improvement in tho speech between Christchurch and slieh other centres as Duiiedin, Gore ; Ihvercargill, Greymouth, Westport, and Hokitika; as well as an appreciable improvejncift in the volume, clttrity; aild'r-lidbiiity of longdistance . conversations, -particularly those taking, plttcc- between Duhedih and! Wellington. Speech between;Grcymotith and other exchanges oh the West feoast with Dunedin, Gore, and Ihverear£ill Will show a marked, ihereaio in volume compared With the coliditiohs which'prevailed a few weeks ago. It is now possible to carry on a cpriyersation between these districts with the greatest •of ease, wherea. a fevtr weeks ago this could be done oniy -With considerable ..difficulty. 'Another direction in which an improvement will be fduiid is:in the link between Diinedih and the Nelson and Marlborough,di_triet„;, '.ITjI. to the present it has* been possible to.jgiv'o only a limited service between Diinedih and Nelson; but tillatest improvements will permit of ail all-day service being-provided. In regard to IrivercargiU, it is iiow practicable' to prbvido an all-day service from this exchtiiige to tlib. principal Centres in Ijdth tlio North and Stfutli Islands, and- It 'can be guaranteed 'that the quality; of the service provided'will, rjrovc entirely satisfafc-fcory. - ' : ■ ': '-fliists are now beiiig prepared indicating the e-xteii-ibit 6£ 'the range tiS communication consequent on tho installation of the systems mentioned. Whilo it is not yet possiblo for every exchange in New.-, Zealand to work every other exchange 'at any hour of the day or nightj the systems now iv operation p-dvide facilities for contihubit- inter-comnluhieatioii between ail tlib triosfc important eetttres. The further improvements which are istill Being -made, and those which are coitemplated, will in the near futiire bring all feeiiftlige_ .xcep. those mbst f emdtoly;-ituated ihto easy telephone cbmhitihication wi-Hi each other. *' ,'.,.,; .. ......