P.& T. DEPARTMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 25 June 1945, Page 4

P.& T. DEPARTMENT

MAJOR CHANGES FORECAST IMPROVED METHODS UNDER STUDY Wanganui, June 24. A forecast of major development* in tbe New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department, including the introduction of improved method* of telegraphic and telephonic communication, television and accounting machine* in money order office*. wbh given by'the director-general, Mr. 11. M. Patrick < Wellington) in a staff talk at the Wanganui Chief Poet Office, He dealt mainly with what may be expected in the post-war year* and described how New Zealand was keepin- abreast of technical development* in other countries. Two eugineer* hod been *ent abroad, and one was still in England working in conjunction with a firm which wa* manufacturing a new telephone system for the growing Hutt City. Thi* system would provide for 5000 subscriber*, but every effort was also beittg made to obtain telephones for new subscribers elsewhere in New Zealand. They were hopeful of obtaining supplies from England, said Mr. Patrick, •and the department regretted ita present inability to meet all demands. A* men became available the department would be able to reinstate other service* which had been eliminated, and the day wa» not far distant when the lunch-hour closing at smaller post offices would be dispensed with. “We want to restore all those postwar service* a* quickly as possible, but if will be a different matter with telephones.” sii id Mr. Patrick. The whoU question of automatic telephony bad to be considered. In New Zealand at rhe present tjnie there were three types ol automatic telephone*. Great Britain and Australia, on the other hand, had simplified the matter by adoptiug one particular type, known a* the »tep-by step system. In New Zealand any extension* at present would he made to the main system, but in the meantime departmental engineers were investigating the question of one uniform system which would be the most suitable for the country. Engineers had pointed out that great developments were pending in future, might be possible for a njan to enter post office in North Auckland and telPB phone to Invercargill by the simple pro y cess of pressing a certain number of buttons and dialing. He would get In direct touch with the person he wanted without anyone coming between. A card giving the mileage, the name of the person to whom he had made the call and the cost would be printed automatically by this machine. “We can see the Jh>ssibilities of that, bnt at the present time Switzerland is the only country in the world with this system.” said Mr. Patrick. Television Prospects. Mr. Patrick also envisaged the introduction of television in New Zealand in the post-war years. Before the war television #vas coming into its own in Great Britain and several of the large theatres had agreed to receive public programmes for customer*. This meant that part of the ordinary cinema whs changing over to television. He had spoken to expert* on this subject. Mr. Patrick added, and they had agreed that in time It would be possible to manufacture television sets at the same cost as ordinary receivers. Mr. Patrick also predicted major developments with regard to tele-communi-cations generally. Last year tbe then director-general. Mr. J. G. Young, attended a conference held in London for the purpose of discussing this question. At oue time it was thought that wireless would never be able to compete with the subterranean cable, but wireless telegraphy hod since made such progress that ultimately it might replace the cable system. Once the equipment was installed messages could be transmitted very quickly and cheaply by wireless. One of the subjects to be discussed at the forthcoming London conference would be improved tele-cominunications between Empire countries. Development* were also being made on the telegraph side of the department'sactivities. The Murray and Creed systems of sending messages had already cut down on tbe use of Morse, and in time it would be eliminated from even small office*. Yet another system wan being developed. Thin was the faeshnile process of sending messages. Tbe transmitter was the sise of a large typewriter with a cylinder. The message, placed on (his cylinder a* written, was sent by a process of electric impulses. The whole of the message was “scanned" by a light and fhi6 scanning was sw»t to the other end,; where tkf raesaage appeared exactly as written. Mr. ; Patrick commented that he had JiMa a machine of tliis type in Wellington recently.