NEW ZEALAND TELEPHONES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18049, 24 September 1920, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND TELEPHONES

STATEMENT BY POSTMASTERGENERAL.

(From Oun Own Correspondent.) v WELLINGTON, September 23. lVw . /Zealand, staled .the Postmaster* t £ta 4f nwn , t ' « about ona jca.l behind m il 3 telephone cxcliauge connections. There are alx>ut 7000 subscribers waiting for connections ivitii tho various telephone exchanges. i fc . was nataxaJl ex . I footed that the recent increases in telephono rates would have had tho effect of steadying- tho applications for new connections with telephone exchanges, and it was in fact, predicted in somo quarters that there would bo a largo falling off of subscribers when tho now rates camo into lorce. Iheso anticipations have not materialised, and tliero has been practically no loss of subsenbors duo to tho introduction of too now rates. It is also an interesting fact that, -instead of there being a reduction m too number of new applications for telephone service, these applications continue steadily to increase In Wellington, since the new rates wero introduced, tho incrcaso is at the rate of 20C0 per annum— about double what it was before the new rates came into force. Tho explanation is that fciio public in this and in all other progressive countries is year by year recog 1 - nisnig tho advantages and economies of tho telephone service, and is regarding it as moro than ever necessary to business and social life. The Now Zealand Post and iolograph Department is doing its utmost, under exceptionally difficult conditions, to meet these demands for telephone service. The difficulties oonnectod with supplies of telephone equipment and materials aro not confined to this country, but are imi'versal. Even in these countries whero largo telephone factories aro situated the greatest difficulty is being experienced by tctephono companies in obtaining the spocial apparatus needed to copo wfth tho growth of tho telephone service. In the Lnited States of America, whore tho telephone business is probably moro highlydeveloped than in any other part of tho world, and where telephone factories and telephone companies abound, the difficulties are equally acute, and it will be a long time before normal conditions are again • reached. Tho United States tolephono companies are unable to fill the orders for additional. sen-ice. - It is "stated that in Now! York over 65,000 aro on tho subscribers' waiting lists, and that all over the United States tho percentage is probably equal to that of New Yorlc. Although hundreds o£ thousands of telephones are being installed, twice as many aro being delayed for want of the neoessary equipment. New Zealand, in view of its distance from tho world's markets, compares more than favourably with many countries at the present day. This position has only been attained by the energetic aotion that has been taken throughout the war period to utilise the existing equipment, in many cases now . obsolescent, to the very best advantage. In our large centres of population, particutelephone switchboards that would have been scrajiped many years ago by modern telephone companies have been patched up, and made to carry the load for a few years longer, until mora modern methods can be introduced. Sida by side with the old manual boards, are auxiliary automatic equipments, which by j means of special apparatus are being made to work hand in hand with the older manually operated switchboards. Telephones.and telephone apparatus of all kinds, that should have been placed upon tho scrap-heap, have been renewed and repaired in the deportment's workshops, and again brought into service. Line plant has been overhauled, rearranged, and redistributed, and by such means the»department has been able to carry on and avoid falling hopelessly bohind. During the year 1919 over 8000 new subscribers were connected to the telephone exchanges ,of the dominion, this being a record. Materials aro now coming to hand slowly, and no effort is being spared to connect "waiting subscribers with the greatest possible dispatch. In .the different parts of the dominion t the department is faced with, the construction of 1456 miles of pole line arid 10,068 miles of open aerial telephone wire, not to mention many miles of telephone cable, carrying anything from 25 ta 600 pairs of wires in. each cable. In addition to this, 650 miles of main line are badly in need of overhaul. At the smaller exchanges throughout the dominion appropriate measures are also being taken to relievo the situation as expeditiously as possible, and to reduoe the waiting list to at minimum. All. the outstanding engineering works of the department have been carefully classified into their relative degrees of importance and urgency, and in arriving at this result the fullest consideration has been given to thoso districts which aro devoid of telephone service, and whero the installation of the telephone is badly needed, to remove the isolation at present being experienced. Although it is rccognised that telephone service in the cities is of great importance to the community, and while every effort is being made, as indicated above, ta provide the same at the earliest possible moment, it must be recognised thai in tho cities no one is very far from a telephone in case of emergency, and that a moro urgent need for telephone sorvico exists in remote settlements, far removed from doctors and other conveniences of modern life. Particularly is this the case in thoso soldier settlements that are now being established in different parts of the dominion. Tho claims of such settlements will therefore receive the fullest consideration as supplies of material become available. Referring to Dunedin, tho Hon. MrCoatea said in Dunedin provision is almost complete for the connection of 300 subscribers to a branch oxchangq at one of the suburbs, which will release tho switchboard apparatus at the central exchange, and permit the connection of all the waiting business, and a number of private residence subscribers a± Dunedin,- with the exception of a few in the remoter suburbs, who cannot be dealt with until supplies of telephone cable come to hand. Supplies" of this cable are badly needed at all the principal exchanges, and it is mainly on account of the shortage of this special dry-core, paper* insulated, and lead-sheathed telephone cabfo tnat- subscribers in the remoter suburbs ot our principal cities are unable to obtain, connection with the telephone exchange.