AUCKLAND TO BLUFF.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 25 June 1924, Page 7

AUCKLAND TO BLUFF.

NEW TELEPHONE ERA. SUBMARINE CABLE AND RELAYS. (By Telegraph. —Special’ to Star.) WELLINGTON. June 25. An announcement that the Post and Telegraph Department will lay a continuously loaded cable for telephone purposes across Cook ' Strait gives promise of telephone communication from Auckland to the Bluff, not by dint of superhuman power of speech, but actually with, at least, the ease of inter-communication between subscribers of the same exchange This is to be made possible by the adoption of an electrical relay, which has made long-distance telephoning possible. But for this invention, for which the requirements of wireless have mainly to be thanked, it would he impossible to carry on riracticable commercial speech over such long distances. The limit under ordinary conditions is expressed in engineering terms a.s about 35 miles of standard cable. The circuit between Auckland and Wellington is equal to 15 miles of standard cable. From Wellington across the Straits to the beach near Seddon, where the cable will be landed, means 12 miles of standard cable; thence to Christchurch, another 12 miles, Christchurch to Dunedin 10 miles, and Dunedin to Invercargill 7 miles. This provides a. total for technical purposes of 56 miles, which would completely put out of question telephonic speech between Auckland and the South Island; but by means of the relay instruments weak circuits arrive at a point at •which they receive an impulse, amplifying the original. Tlii> process can be repeated wherever the impulse drops below a point at which the telephone users would have difficulty in hearing each other. The relay between Auckland and Wellington would make telephonic speech as easy as over seven or eight miles of standard cable. Other repeaters in the South Island would act with equal efficiency in boosting up the original speech impulse, with the result that conversation between Auckland and Invercargill would be as easy as that conducted over 12 miles of standard cable, though commercial speech is possible over 35 miles of such a cable. PROFITABLE WAITING. It i.s on record that the telephone division by waiting a year or so before letting a contract for the Dunedin telephone exchange, saved £IO,OOO, and that almost a similar amount was saved on the Wellington exchange contract; but even a larger sum is likely to be gained to the Dominion through the decision of the chief telegraph engineer (Mr. Shrimpton) three years ago in recommending the rejection of tenders for a continuously loaded telephone cable for. Cook Strait, the drop in prices having been enormous. Tenders are being called immediately, and it is anticipated that complete inter-com-munication in the Dominion from north to south will be in operation by February next. The relay system will benefit not only the route described, but every other long-distance circuit used by subscribers. The West Coast will just as easily talk with the North Island as with Christchurch, possibly easier, when the electrical relay is introduced into the circuit. When extremely high prices were quoted for the special class of cable needed for telephone purposes across Cook Rtrail the Department considered a wireless scheme for bridging the gnu. connecting with the ordinary land lines, hut the great reduction in the price of cables mrdees wireless more cost.lv and less efficient than what is to he installed.