HOW THE TELEPHONE BEGAN

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17263, 2 September 1916, Page 13

HOW THE TELEPHONE BEGAN

ITS EVOLUTION RAPID. In the beginning the telephone was constructed ol two tin cans connected by a string. It is just forty-one years since the ©volution to its present form began. Tire modern instrument at the outset was almost as crude- as its mechanical toy predecessor. It- cam© into use slowly, and it was r.ob at first highly appreciated. But experts at oueo took it up and quickly developed appliances by which the range of the instrument ' was largely extended. Now, it is stated, one telephonic, company of national reputation in America, claims to have 64,000 exchanges, with 9,200,000 stations, and 21,000.000 miles of wire carrying 20.000,030 messages a- day. Besides this great company, there are many independent companies which largely swell the aggregates of these figures. The telephone, even more than tho telegraph, has become closely identified with ihe business of tho world, and tho extent cf the economies made- possible through its nso cannot, be computed. The telephone_is also an important factor in a social sense. Taken altogether, it may be said to do more towards advancing the world’s business than all other means of communication combined.