Long-Term Planning For New Telephone System

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 November 1950, Page 8

Long-Term Planning For New Telephone System

The Post Office telephone department is getting gay. It is offering competition to interior furnishers. It is becoming somewhat debonair. Telephones installed in a few Wanganui homes yesterday had red dial numbers—bright red numbers on an ivory white background. These red numbers do something to the sombre black telephone. It is no longer a useful piece of machinery for speaking into; It is now ornamental.

But not only are the numbers out of the ordinary, the telephone themselves are a new type. They are wall telephones with combination receivertransmitter hand pieces. They are f<r. in number, however, and only the I-? next in line for telephones are likely to get. them.

There is a very definite reason for | the red numbers. They are painted on thin aluminium foil, which covers black numbers underneath. The red numbers are numbered anti-clockwise —similar to those in use in Wanganui —while the black numbers, conforming to the New Zealand standard, are numbered clockwise. That is, the red numbers start from the left side of the dial with 0,9, 8,7, etc., while the black numbers are 0,1, 2,3, etc. These new telephones are the forerunners to the modernisation of the telephone installations in the Wanganui automatic exchange area to British equipment and standard New Zealand numbering. The clockwise numbering is in usv in the four main cities and in several provincial centres, including Palmerston North. It is envisaged that in the dim and distant future subscribers will be able to dial a number in an outside town or city, for example Wellington, without the trouble of making the call through the toll exchange. This is one of the reasons for the standisation of dial numbering. If the present system were used, Wanganui subscribers dialling number 23,967, Wellington, would get 87.143. What fun? The toll exchange in Wanganui has its problems. It can dial a subcriber’s number direct to Hawera, Marton and Palmerston North. Hawera and Buhs have the same system as Wanganur, but Palmerston North is on the New. Zealand standard system. The confusion is overcome by a list of numbers on the inner part of the dial, enumerated cjockwise. Already direct communication can be made by Hutt Valley and Wellington subscribers. The conversion to the standard numbering will be a long task in Wanganui. There are over 4000 telephones, and 1000 people are waiting for them. It is thought that when the changeover does take place a new directory will be issued. This, obviously, will be necessary as it will not, it is thought, be possible for subscribers to retain their former number.

Wanganui is one of the first, if not the first, centre in New Zealand to Introduce the new aluminium foil dial. Department authorities, however, point out that the foil should not be interfered with. The cardinal rule should be to dial with the finger, not with a pencil. Developments in telephone technique are proceeding ap.ve and some of the latest models of telephones will be in Wanganui shortly. These include an office telephone which incorporates a switch-board, receiver-transmitter and dial all in one unit. This means that in the event of a fault developing the whole system can be replaced with another unit in a matter of seconds and be taken away for repairs. All equipment coming to hand now is of British manufacture.