AUTOMATIC TELEPHONES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15649, 1 July 1914, Page 9

AUTOMATIC TELEPHONES.

| - MATERIAL FOR NEW SYSTEM.

5 [bt telegraph.— COKRES1 1 INDENT.] if . Wellington, T lesday. -? MATERIAL is now being manufactured by ~\ the Western Electric Company for the inf sta&stion of automatic telephone services :) fa Auckland, Wellington, and other cen- .. tres, for which a contract was let to the f company last year. Temporary installation* hive keen made of Stronger autoi malic telephones in Auckland and Wel- . lington to provide additional switchboard accommodation for new subscribers until

the contract is fulfilled. The report of

i the Post and Telegraph Department states '■' that the automatic plant at Auckland has

;.• a capacity of 1300 lines and that of Weiif liiigton of 1000 lines, of which about 600 '3 lines at Auckland and 400 at Wellington j arc now in use, and aro giving satisfac- :■ tory results. Trouble which is occasion- . ally experienced in using the new system is explained to bo duo to injury to the overhead lead cable, resulting in lowwed" insulation owing to excessive dampness, but this trouble, of course, would equally affect any other central battery system. It is intended to replace these cables at Auckland and Wellington, and the draw- ■. ing in of the cables will soon bo undertaken. When this is completed and the telephones throughout the area are connected with the automatic system the advantages of the change will be more fully realised.