TRANSFER OF CABLE STATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17081, 13 August 1917, Page 10

TRANSFER OF CABLE STATION

WORK NEARLY COMPLETED." (Fnosi Our Own 'Cobbsspokixekz.) WELLINGTON, August An announcement of great importance W'H the pnblic was mado to a Post reporter by ' the New Zealand representative of the Eastern Extension Telegrajph Company. For months past there has been great activity on. both sides of the Tasman Sea in oonnection with the transference of the < Eastern Extension Company's two cables ■ i from La Penrose (New Sooth Wales) to Sydney and at the New Zealand end fram vWakapuaka (Nelson) to Wellington. Gangs* of men have been busy for months laying an underground land line from the General' Post Office in Wellington to the new "shore ' ' end" on the sea coast, to which the Wakv puaka end of the cables will be joined np as soon as the necessary preparations have been completed. A suite of rooms on the. top floor of Nathan's Buildings been * fitted up with the necessary receiving and • - transmitting apparatus, and two tubes 7 * running under the - street connect with the j G.P.O. The_ company's offioials in Sydney i have been just as busy as those on thrf side. The cable station at, La Perouse has been done away with, and a receiving and . transmitting station established right in the ' - heart of Sydney. The ' Eastern Extension' Company's representative informed the reporter that it was to establish direct communication between the two centres < about the end of the month. Thismov© willmean virtually that the heart of Wellington is in direct communication by means of cable with the heart of Sydney- By the • oldVmethod a. cablegram for Australia handed} 1 ; in at Wellington would be forwarded tr> ; Wakapuaka, which-in turn would transmit '; it to La Perouse, and the message would •'•<" then be retransmitted to Sydney, the whole involving threo_ distinct transmdssiona. When tlie cable is joined up to Weflington * two of these will be done away with, «nA all retransmission of the message will be obviated. The removal Las involved a iwry ■ large expenditure. All the expense has been shouldered by (he Eastern Extension Company. All cablegrams for transmission by the new route will have to be marked "Via Eastern." As Wellington is the centra of all {he North! ! : and South Island trunk telegraph Tmrm, ft 0 will be merely a matter of seconds for & - man in any part of the dominion to have his- message telegraphed to Wellington and then despatched to Sydney. The staff at C Wakapuaka will be brought over to Weilington about the end of the month in order to, take over the new cable station. > One advantage of the transference of, the cable end to Wellington is that the present s branch cable from Wakapuaka to Wellington will be practically freo for ordinary : ' telegraph messages, although Sooth Island cablegrams will have to bo sent by it On© \ of the company's vessels has been over the : ' whole of the existing cable. All tboso pop-% 1 tions which wero in the slightest degree S worn have boon replaced, and the entire cable is now quite as good as when ifc ivaa " laid down. M >