TELEPHONE SERVICES.

Waipa Post, Volume XVII, Issue 962, 1 July 1920, Page 2

TELEPHONE SERVICES.

THE TE AWAMUTU EXCHANGE.

EXCELLENCE OF THE SYSTEM

Regarding the telephone system in Te Awamutu and the Dominion generally, a correspondent writes: — “ I have recently returned to Te Awamutu from overseas and am agreeably surprised at the general excellence of the telephone system here as compared with that existing in Australia. There has been some comment lately on the fact that Te Awamutu cannot connect direct with Wellington. In this connection it was stated recently by a high official that if this were done the wires would naturally be ‘ over-loaded,’ and to avoid a blockage of the services some entrepot station had to be arranged for. That was why the Te Awamutu calls had to go through Hamilton. Regarding the present telephone system, I have been informed that in the near future the western electric automatic telephone system will be put in all over New Zealand. This system of automatic telephones has 'been purchased from America at very high cost, and will prove highly efficacious. There is every prospect of its being installed in Hamilton at a very early date. Blenheim and Masterton, I am told, have already installed the system, and find it a great success. New Zealand cannot be called behind the times in the.matter of telephone services. It has a far better system than that used in Australia. As far as long-distance telephony goes, there is every prospect of Te Awamutu being able to talk to Bluff in a couple of years. As a matter of fact, the chief engineer, Mr Shrimpton, is in England at present, and possibly we may get wireless telephony here. And we have no cause for. complaint against the Te Awamutu telephone exchange, the officers of which are all capable and courteous. It is rumoured that there will be a lady supervisor up here shortly. There are now 420 subscribers to this exchange, and there are 64 waiting to be joined up.”