SELECTION BY 'PHONE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 51, 29 August 1934, Page 14

SELECTION BY 'PHONE

HOCKEY TEAM PERSONNEL

TRIANGULAR CONVERSATION

A triangular telephone conversation between Christ church, Wangnnui, and Auckland was accomplished on Saturday evening, when the New Zealand hockey selectors adopted this method to select their team to meet the touring Australians (states the Christchurch "Star").

This marks n new departure in tho telephone service in New Zealand, and opens up a big Held for conferences and ordinary business whore urgency is required. It,'is understood that this is the first time a triangular conversation has taken place for the- transaction of business, though officials of tho Post and Telegraph Department have previously carried out experiments along these lines.

Mr. 8. G. Holland, chairman of the Xew Zealand Hockey Selection Committee, while in conversation with Mr. T. Moffdt, commercial manager of the Post and Telegraph Department in Ghristchurch, mentioned the delay and difficulty of selecting a team when the only reasonable ■ avenue of correspondence open to the selectors was through the post. It was from this conversation that the three-way conversation was arranged.

To carry it out, Mr. Moffat arranged with, the Wellington engineering department to link up Christchurch and Wellington, Wellington and Wanganui, and Wellington and Auckland at 10 o'clock on .Saturday evening. Those taking part in. the conversation were warned to Lie ready. .

Punctually at 10 o'clock Mr. Holland's telephone rang, and when he had lifted tho receiver ho was greeted by tho voices of tho other two selectors, Messrs. R. L. Thompson (Wanganui) and W. Nowsham (Auckland). My. Holland stated subsequently that ho spoke to the other selectors for from fifteen to twenty minutes. They had restricted their conversation- to the job of selecting the team, and had been successful in their efforts.

In pointing out tho wonderful scope such a conversation opened up, Mr. Holland said that they had discussed the merits of the_ players, and had been able to give their views fully. In one case a man was not available, and in tho ordinary course the filling of his place would have been left to one selector.' As they were in direct communication tho job was carried out by tho three of them.

The voices carried well, though they were uot so loud as in an ordinary telephone conversation, said Mr. Holland. They had had to ask, "Who is that?" occasionally when one of the oth.ors was speaking, a slight difficulty being experienced in distinguishing the voices. No fault had occurred in the line, and Mr. Holland paid a tributo to tho Post and Telegraph officials responsible, who, he said, had gone- to great trouble to arrange the conversation.