TELEPHONES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14355, 27 October 1908, Page 7

TELEPHONES.

• THE CALL-BOX SYSTEM. (Fbou ; Our. Own ! Correspondent.) 'WELLINGTON, October 26. Apropos of the new departure of providing call-bos telephones in the cities, Mr J. K. Logan (Superintendent of Electric Lines) says ; .the first .consignment is to be by .way of experiment. In speaking to a Tost.' reporter, he said he had notnoticed any demand for these public telephones, where a penny, twopence, c threepence, thrust through a ' slot Would Bjcure the privilege of long- ' distance conversation. It is so easy for: anybody , now to use the telephone in, a hotel or in a friend's lionise that the possibility of a- run on the public call-boxes is rather shadowy. The bureau at the head offltje, the Queen's wharf, at a charge of threepence, does not do, a great amount of. business. However, Mr Logan believes that' the instruments may more than justify their existence when installed at railway station*. The department hag not decided about the allocation qf the boxes, but it is probable that the railway stations will have first claim on them. Tho.matter of the charge for'ringing up is also not yet settled. The machines are designed for the reception of pennies, but more than one may be required to "do the trick," The department now gets £5 a year from an ordinary subscriber; Assuming that the charge for the use of a call-box is mad© a penny, 1200 rings, practically four calls a. day would be needed to make the box return as much rovenue as one subscriber, and then there is the capital cost of each box, about £25, to bo taken iuto calculation. , Whether the call-boxes wi.ll be numerous or not rests with the public. Referring to the central battery system, in which the lifting of the receiver from tlie hook automatically connects the box with the exchange, Mr Logan remarked that all tho apparatus for the Timarti and Invercar-gill installations had not yet arrived, but soon everything would be ready for 7 a beginning with the new telephonic era. Answerinl a query as to whether this new system would in time be established in the cities, Mr Logan said that with the completion of the- metallic circuits the cities would have' very good telephone communication with the present appliances. He anticipated that within about six months all the wires of Wellington would be inside leaden cables,; which would be underground in the heart of the city. The construction of the conduits was almost finished, mid the work of drawing the great cables through the ducts was making good progress. At tho foot of Bolton street alone there would be 700 pairs of , wires for distribution. ~ ,