RADIO TELEPHONE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20096, 1 May 1935, Page 8

RADIO TELEPHONE

REDUCED CHARGES By Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON, April 30. During the period immediately following the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty the King, the Empire is to be drawn closer together by very substantial reductions in the charges for radio telephone calls, states the PostmasterGeneral (the Hon. Adam Hamilton). From May 6 to May 31, it has been decided by mutual arrangement between the administrators concerned to reduce the charges for the radio telephone service between the United Kingdom and New Zealand from £2/5/to £l/2/6 a minute, with a minimum charge of £3/7/6. Similar reductions are being effected in the case of calls between the United Kingdom and other parts of the Empire. Slight permanent reductions in the charges for the radio telephone service between New Zealand and Ireland and between New Zealand and the Isle of Man are also being introduced. In the case of Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, it is proposed, as a permanent measure, to reduce the basic charge from £2/7/- to £2/5/- a minute. In the case of the Irish Free State (Dublin only), the basic rate is being permanently reduced from £2/7/- to £2/6/- a minute.

During the Jubilee period these rates will be reduced by approximately 50 per cent. Although the permanent charges for the radio telephone service from New. Zealand are reasonable compared with those for similar services operating in other parts of the world, the Minister stated that they precluded the use of the radio telephone except for private and business conversations of the highest importance, and the traffic had conse'T'ently been far below the capacity of th° available channels. No doubt during the Jubilee neriod much greater advantage would be taken of the service. Radio telephonic communication was first made available between Australia and England on April 30, 1930, and between Australia and New Zealand on November 25 of the same year.

The complete radio link between New Zealand and the United Kingdom was made available on July 23; 1931, and the service, while not used to anything like its full capacity, has been on occasions of very great value to the Government a"'’ the business community.