INTER-ISLAND LINK

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19631, 18 July 1935, Page 8

INTER-ISLAND LINK

COOK STRAIT CABLE,

PREFERENCE FOR RADIO.

INVESTIGATION TO BE MADE,

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday

’ The relative advantages of cable telephone -and radio telephone communication across Cook Strait will be -studied by two New Zealand engineers who are being sent to England shortly.

The Director-General of Postal Services, Mr G. McNamara, gave some details to-day of the proposed investigation. He sai-d that -a new line of communication was needed between -the North and South Islands, first because of the volume of business and -second because the existing cables were getting old. Top much risk, of apeidept was involved in undersea cable communication, and the cost of maintenance was. high. “I -have .'a , feeling,” said Mr McNamara, “that cables have become out of date for use in particular services such as Cook Strait.”

.Mr McNamara indicated t]iq.t the New Zealand engineers would -specially investigate the nine-channel microwave wireless communication recently established between Scotland and Northern Ireland. This was entirely new, and obviously the cost would be well below that of the submarine cable system. ’Conditions over the Irish Sea were, he believed, much the same as those over Cook Strait. .