EXHIBITION AT ZURICH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 168, 19 July 1939, Page 3

EXHIBITION AT ZURICH

TELEPHO.NE ( ALL TO DOMINION SWISS TALK TO HOMELAND ( I’cr Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 17. Swiss living in New Zealand s;*oke , by telephone with relatives in their homeland at the week-end from the home of the Swiss Consul at Wellington, Dr. Walter Schmid, of Khanda 11 ah. The call came from the pavilion of Hie 4,000,000 Swiss living abroad at the Swiss national exhibition at Zurich --comparable in scope to the forthcoming Centennial Exhibition at Wellington and was arranged by the association for Swiss living abroad in , conjunction with the exhibition management. Ten Swiss people came to Dr. Schmidt's home from towns other than Wellington and seven of them spoke to relatives who had journeyed to Zurich for the purpose. The scene was a touching one as a modern wonder brought near the voices of relatives many thousands of miles away and in most cases not seen for many years. The call from Zurich lasted ten minutes and conversation was clear. The Post and Telegraph Department of Wellington specially installed a new telephone receiving set. at Dr. Schmid’s home for the purpose. Dr. Schmid was told from Zurich that three million had already gone through the exhibition since it was opened in May. While it is in progress more than fifty Swiss communities in all parts of the world will bo called up by telephone as were I those Swiss in New Zealand who assembled at Dr. Schmid's. The most exciting moment at the gathering at Dr. Schmid's was when the telephone rang. There were some minutes of anxious waiting. Then years, oceans and continents were spanned as father and mother talked to sons and daughters and sisters, brothers, aunts and cousins were briefly reunited. When the call was concluded the Swiss visitors stayed at Dr. Schmid'." for a patriotic celebration.