POST AND TELEGRAPHS.

Mataura Ensign, 30 September 1913, Page 4

POST AND TELEGRAPHS.

REVIEW OF PROGRESS. | WIRELESS INSTALLATIONS. j PER UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION OHHISTCHUBCH, Sept 29. . Dotained m Wellington through having to be present in Parliament while: the Post and Telegraph Department's lVstmiates were considered by the House of Representatives, Hon. R. H. Rhodes, Postmaster-General, was unable to attend the letter-carriers' annual dinner on Saturday night. He had proparod a statement of the progress made by tho big State Department under his charge, and intended making it public at the dinner, but being unable to do 60 he supplied the information to a reporter.

The volume of postal matters handled (he said) continued to rapidly increase. Of letters and other 'articles posted the number had risen from 85,800,000 in 902 to nearly 162,000,000 10 years rl' iV^ 0 increaso in tho l >are d traffic had been even greater, the parcels posted m 1002 having been 244,000 and i ro.!'n^ 05p0 a'i (]ui ? mmhev kst >' ear IJro increase in respect of parcels continued, and for the first half c ™° Present year showed an advance of 2o per cent, over that of 1912. That was largely accounted for by the reduction of inland rates introduced on January.!. "The establishment of the rural mail delivery, whereby a settler practically has a, post office at his house, the Minister went on, "has met a public need, judging by the number of applications for such deliverv which continues to be received. In a "number of cases this ■system has taken the place of the original mail services. Recognising the value of such a servico to the back-block settler, the Government intends to encourage its establishment wherever practicable. In tho more closely-settled parts several of these services are being performed by Departmental officers mounted on motorcycles, and a much quicker delivery has resulted. As the roads of the Dominion improve it may bo possible to extend largely the rural mail delivery. Every endeavor is made by the Department to give the best possible delivery service* to the public. Tho introduction of aperture plates on the doors of residences has effected a saving in the time occupied by the carriers on their rounds. If, however, tho system of apertures were universally adopted it is estimated that a saving of half an hour wmild result in the majority of the deliveries. The Department has of kto largely extended the use of motor vehicles in its service, in rural mail deliveries particularly."

It was interns-ting to look at the large part which mechanical appliances were brought to play in tho operations of tho post ,and telegraph service. On tho telegraph sido a cash register was used to account for tho receipt of payment for telegrams. Telegrams we're conveyed from one branch to another by means of a pneumatic system or .some other mode of carriage, while tho received telegrams were folded by machinery. On tho postal sido there w,as tho automatic registration machine. Stamps wore sold by moans of a vending machine, audi letters wero faced up and postmarked by a combined machine designed for the purpose. Cycles took a prominent part in tho delivery of correspondence, and in the accounting system calculating machines of many kinds wero made to do works of checking, calculating and scheduling, which. forni'Tly had been done at the cost of much mental effort. Work which before, on account of its responsible nature, was obliged to be dono by senior officers was now undertaken by juniors and cadet operators using calculating machines.

Tho wireless stations at Awamii and \ Awarua had been tasted under varying' conditions and found to give good results. The power was obtained from 75-h.p. engines, and communication during the day—the most difficult time for wireless operating—had been satisfactorily carried on with Sydney. Tt was expected _ that both; stations"-would be brought into general use on November 7. They are equipped for communication with ships at sea by lower power, and commercial wave lengths of 600 and 300 metres, but for longer high power wave lengths, ranging from 1800 to 3.500 metres, were used. Although extreme distances were not desirable noi necessary for general working, it was interesting as indicating the capabilities of the stations, to learn that daylight working between Awanui and the battleship New Zealand had been maintained over a distance of 1200 miles. Night working was carried out at a distance of 3000 miles. A vessel trading between Honolulu and Japan had been repeatedly heard at Awanui, at a distance of 4000 miles. The Chatham Islands station was opened on September 18, and was of two and a-half kilowatts in power. The plant was similar to that in us© at the Wellington and Auckland stations. It would afford communication with the mainland, and would 'be the means of reporting shipping to and from the islands. It would be useful as a transmitting station for wireless communication between New Zealand and vessels Homeward bound by way of Capo Horn. The 'station had been erected and installed by the officers of tho department, and tho attendance at the station, although not continuous, was such as to meet prosent requirements. "It will be remembered," said the Postmaster-Gonoral in concluding, "that during tho winter of last year a heavy snowfall was the cause of severe breakages in the telegraph line north of Waiau. On this route the spans have been shortened and stronger poles erected where necessary. A larger gauge of cooper wire has also been employed, and it is anticipated that very little trouble from storms will be experienced on this section of lino in future. Tn order, however, that- the risk may be minimised as much a* possible the Department is constructing an alternative line nearer the coast than tho present route. From Waipara northwards the poles are being strengthened and portion of the line rebuilt. As showing the progress of telegraph construction it may bo remarked that within the last few months 77 miles of new line and 675 miles of wire have been erected in tho Canterbury district."