TELEPHONIC WONDERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14049, 20 July 1916, Page 2

TELEPHONIC WONDERS.

-'■'-' EST^BLISHj^EIsrT OBLONG- * -j , DISTANCE SERVICE' The announcement . contained, in our To-day V issue of the^establishment oi - ajlpng^tance < telephone service between Gisborne, and. Wellingfoh and in- ' tervenmg 4entre^ll^douffiss 'occat • ' s:on some surprlsS locally. : '"Gisborne •w,th its substantial exchange and S titude of v well acquainted with futility of the telephone, having been one if the pioneering o^tricts in this respect. ?t ~ nfl lar ? e^ JPhone centre in tbe Dominion .outside of.- the four cities, and is, rapidly catching up o Dunedin. Tliat a *etftid^ hoover P can ; bo initiated over 360 miles, bringing ESSf"^ *^ h a »d' even Wellington voWl ; next +^ 001 '" to Gisborne, speaks volumes fpr -tlie . engineering feat "that has, been Accomplished .binder the scion n^?^ 6 ! 0^ 11 *. of telephone: The primary factor in effecting these inv P^ments has been.the introduction of what^ is techmcally.khowh as "Phantom" h?%^ the^aieonSed " by the switching station established- at the: Waipawa exchange, where ; new-and exceptionally efficient, Apparatus j,«£ been recently installed, converting Waipawa, fromva telephonic point of view, into the "nerve centre" of the district! Anyone at all experienced in the exasperating task of telephoning,, even io the country centres around Gisborne a year or two ago, when one's efforts were generally drpwned by the hum of conversation,, and incessant tapping of the telegraph instruments,: will readily^ -.*..*, appreciate, the remarkable change" that ,: has brought about a silent circuits he- -' : tween -Gisborne -and Nani ? r, and even ,-■ between Gisborne and Wellington. ■•■; So excellent: is ;the installation > that < a . whisper is transmitted, and conversation caii be carried on avithout the effort of having to raise one's voice. , To si* ui his; home ; at Wellington 'and speak through to '.the local "telegraph ■. engineer with the ease, indicated abov« ' was the result obtained by Mr E A Shmmpton,, .^district -, telegraph, when testing .the efficiency of the ihstaN directed ithatt Me shotdd he 'switched on to the department's rtinesmah at Tokomaru Bay^and -he was/thus actually able to converas freely/ notwithstanding ■ t SL i>m \ offic i*ls were separated by over 400 miles. Qut V what, to the umtiated mind -was a mere string.-* tff iWii-^s, there has been evolved a system <of flat -metallic > cir'ouits', < Orossed . Avery r twoimles, which wijh sundry meohanr. cal devices, has enth-ely eliminated the usual noises - associated-*.- with iona-dis-<tance telephoning;: and., has given a silent circuit. A' most -remarkable .feature of the installation is the fact ' that the apparatus is so arranged that individual communication is /possible hetween stations, such as Hastings -and Dannevirke, whilst . with a the aid ; or^the phantom*' circuit conversation" might actually be in progress' between a, man in Gisborne and a Wellington resident Even herei the ■ efficieney^of 'the -eqult* ment does not end, for, unconscious to the people on than telephonei the wires are also transmitting? considerable telegraphic messages; and' this without- the slightest inconvenience to the telephonic By sj re-arranging . the existing.^wn'es, and, varioua -other Up-t*** date innovations}' the district' entfmfee* has not only got, rid of the •attendant noises and i^gingZ-he. has actually: t»rd^;,i vrded about 200 iniW> of extra' tetS? 7" phone service '-without necessitating' 'the erection 'of additional -wiresV A^rt*ff6ni thei departmental :bfficials| Mr Sni*iml«V v ton^ telegraph engineer ' for ' tlie ton;, district^ -ably tassiste^ bV his assist antt engineers^ 'Napier and' Gisbtirn* is responsible for what- % ! Uiraoubtedlv an • engineering feat -in the telephoYiie and telegraphio -aervio-'of-'the DdtainioV^ lhe excellent atid efficient results ~tte have been brought about- locally bv s the. conversion of : the GMsbOroe' telephono service a frolh^V' overloaded and anti- . quated earth- working circuit to i modern metallio circuit system, ia » fm-ther -testimony to the engineering skill and ability that have , been displayed - This, together with the Substantial improvements- that are bento effected to the coastf and inland services, has entailed a c6nslderable V 6utJay; a but „',t l^ ,ben eficial advantages: de-" livedt -will largely counteract the -disadvantages arising' .from the r ilaek*Wtratelling facilities' 'hi the winter months besides reducing to a minimum the risk of Gisborne being cut off froirt J communication with other of- the. Dominion, as so frequently happened iii thei past. >. ■:•■ ■ • ; , : _■■___■■____________________.