“HELLO THERE!"

Gisborne Times, Volume LII, Issue 5476, 11 May 1920, Page 6

“HELLO THERE!"

TELEPHONING TO THE SOUTH ISLAND. One may at certain defined hours telephone to almost any part of tho North Island from Wellington, and vice versa, but it: is another matter when one wishes to communicate orally with someone in the South Island. It is not, of course, impossible to telephone with the aid of the' existing cables across Cook Strait, but such communication is not altogether reliable, and very seldom is it, entirely satisfactory to those at either end of the wire. This state of things Is to bo remedied in the future. During the war specially-loaded and armored telephone cables were laid between England and Prance, which greatly facilitated business in connection with the war. As the result of such experiments in specially-constructed cables for telephonic purposes, a design was hit upon which gave splendid results, and placed the world much farther ahead in submarine telephony than it had been previously.

It would be of immense advantage to the commercial community of the* Dominion if a rcliablo telephone service were provided between the two islands, and the Government has decidnii to provide such a service as soon as possible. The task of laying a suitable cable is not a simple one, owing to the rugged nature of the ocean bed in Cook Strait. To facilitate matters the I’acific Cable Company’s steamer Patrol made a survey of the bottom of the Strait along the proposed route. It: may be that an officer of the department will have to proceed to England shortly to consult with the Br.tish authorities as to the most suitable cable for the conditions in the Strait. That decided upon, the cable which would be very heavy, would probably have to be brought out by a cable-laying steamer, as the double handling of such a cable would be cosily and inconvenient.

The officer likely tn be dispatched to England in this connection is Air E. A. Shrimpton (Chief Telegraph Engineer), who has had a good deal of practical experience in the handling and laying of cables in these waters.