TELEPHONE SERVICES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14047, 18 July 1916, Page 6

TELEPHONE SERVICES.

» - . IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS. "Direct telephonic communication between Gisborne and Opotiki is expected to bo available m about two months' time," so Mr. E. A. Shrimpton, telegraph engineer for the district, informed a Herald representative to-day. To provide this service it has been necessary i id erect a complete new line across from j Gisborne to the Bay of Plenty, linking up en route two new telephone exchanges — at Te Karaka and Motu respectively. Three parties under Mr. Coles, local telegraph engineer, are working on this side of the range, whilst another party is working up from the Opotiki side. Motu township has been installed with poles, and most of the long service wires are erected. Tlie exchange should he opened m about two months from now with 30 to 40 subscribers. The work at Te Karaka is also m hand,_but here it : will be necessary to erecf; a new post office, and this will be located on the 1 reserve near the County Council Cham,bers. Discussing the coast service, Mi*. Shrimpton stated that the main trunk line, only recently erected, waa severely damaged m two sections--— Wai-o-matatini J nnd Jerusalem — by the big flood. The 1 service had been reinstated as weli as possible with material available. The pending erection of a new lire from Tuparoa would afford an alternative route m the event of dislocation! of the service m future. Asked as to the Gisborne-Napier line, the engineer said that the work on the Mohaka- Wairoa section had been delayed by weather, but with the completion m a few months' time of the MohakaWharerata section the district would possess a first-class new line from Napier to Gisborne, ond, m fact, right to Kahukura. Incidentally, Mr. Shrimpton said that Gisbornites might not he aware of the fact that the long-distance telephone service from Gisborne to Napier had now ieen extended. It was now possible by a reorganisation of the wires for Gisborne people to telephone direct with any of the stations between Napier and I Palmerston North. The service had been so improved that the speech between i Gisborne and Palmerston Norl^i was ! piactically like speaking from one room jto another. Further than this, Gisborne ■ subscribers may also talk right through to Wellington at night time, between i 30 p.m. and 8 a.m., besides any hours on Sundays or on holidays. Notwithstanding the distance, it would be found the speech was as good and as distinct as the present service between Gisborne and Motu. Mr. Shrimpton, who has been inspecting the work m this district, held a conference with the Mayor to-day re- | specting the installation of public slot * telephones m and around Gisborne. Mr. | Shrimpton returns south to Wellington by the Arahura this evening.