TAPPING ’PHONE WIRES IS EASY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18936, 5 December 1929, Page 9

TAPPING ’PHONE WIRES IS EASY.

BUT NOTHING OF THIS NATURE IS ALLOWED HERE, SAYS ENGINEER

Can telephone conversations be lis-tened-in to by tapping the wires? This question is raised by allegations made recently at Auckland and stated to be the result of tapping exchange wires. That it is a very simple matter was ascertained from inquiries made by a “Star” reporter to-day. An engineer, who has had considerable experience of telephones, said that telephone wires under the manual system could be tapped very easily. It simply consisted in joining up the tapper’s telephone with the wires between a subscriber’s telephone and the exchange. At some points it was fairly easy to do this unobserved, although if the line were tested in the exchange, the fact that the circuit was being used would be known. It was just like a party-wire system, where the various parties’ telephones were all connected to the circuit. Under the automatic system, conversation could be listened to by tapping, but detection would be very much easier. “Fortunately the unauthorised tapping of telephone wires in New Zealand is practically unknown,” said the engineer. Asked about conditions in America, where evidence in divorce and similar cases often consists of telephone conversations overheard by “tapping,” the engineer said that nothing of that nature would be permitted in New Zealand. It is sometimes necessary for telephone conversations to be listened to when the wires are tapped for testing purposes but it is understood that the Telegraph Engineer’s Department does this as little as possible. The work is confined to mechanicians and linesmen. When they are testing the linesmen carry portable telephones, and when necessary, obtain communication with the by connecting up with the wires, *his is done by the use of clips or hooks.