F.—l

XXX

Aboard ship the power is usually much below 8-h., and it is with these smaller powers that com 1 parisons of relative efficiency would prove most useful. No ships visiting the New Zealand waters, except war-vessels, are equipped with'wireless-telegraph apparatus. The foreign-going vessels which trade to these waters are on the return voyages within the reach of wireless shore stations along the coasts of Great Britain, but appear to consider it unnecessary to set up wireless apparatus on the ship to avail themselves of these coastal facilities. The Dominion has not yet any wireless station to communicate with ships. The Department is keeping itself informed of wireless-telegraph developments, and will be prepared to carry out any work of the kind should it be decided to establish wireless stations. Probably a conference of representatives of naval, military, marine, telegraph, and commercial interests to consider their requirements would be an advisable preliminary step. Telegraph and Telephone Construction and Maintenance. The new switchboards at New Plymouth, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Napier, Gisborne, and Nelson telephone exchanges have been supplied with the breastplate equipment, which enables each attendant to use her own transmitter. The other larger exchanges are being similarly equipped. New Zealand Cable Services. On the 31st May, 1907, No„4 Lyell Bay cable developed a fault about 11£ knots from the L y ell Bay side. Bepairs were completed on the 23rd June. A new cable of 42J knots was laid across Cook Strait from Lyell Bay to White's Bay on the sth December, 1907, to provide additional communication between the two islands. On the 7th December, 1907, No. 3 cable became faulty about five knots from the Oterangi Bay end. The cable was repaired on the 21st December. No. 2 Oterangi Bay cable broke on the 6th January, 1908, about nine miles from Oterangi Bay and its repair was completed on the 19th January. No. 4 Lyell Bay, which had a fault in it that did not entirely interrupt the working of the cable, was cut into and repairs effected on the 20th January, 1908. On the 16th March, 1908, a cable of about 5| knots in length was laid between Colac Bay and Centre Island to establish telephonic communication between the lighthouse on Centre Island and Biverton on the mainland. On the 31st March, 1908, 4f knots of cable were laid between Stephen's Island and Pawakaiwawa Bay on D'Urville Island, and lf knots bctweed Terurutu Bay on D'Urville Island and Elmslie's Bay on the mainland of the South Island. Telephonic communication already extends as far as Elmslie's Bay, and when the land line on D'Urville Island, which is being erected, is completed Stephen's Island lighthouse will be connected by telephone with Nelson. The whole of the Cook Strait cables and the cable from Wanganui to Wakapuaka are in good order. The cables in other parts of the Dominion are also in good working-order. Telephone Trunk Wires. The demand for telephone trunk wires to connect outlying places with exchanges and the exchange in one locality with that in another does not diminish. In most cases telegraphic communication exists between the towns, but this does not always satisfy the public, A perusal of the record of works carried out in the different Inspectors' districts will show that much has been done during the year to meet these requirements, and the general extension of the telephone system has been on a scale in excess of the extension in previous years. As stated in former reports, the carrying-capacity of a telephone circuit is limited to about fifty spoken communications a day, so that the growing requirements of the public for telephonic facilities between centres of population can only be met by a large capital outlay. Telegraph revenue shows a tendency to shrink where telegraph and telephone communication exist side by side. The superimposed circuits introduced from time to time work satisfactorily, and wherever facilities exist in connection with new wires telegraph circuits are, when considered advisable, superimposed upon the new wires. The following is a comparative statement showing length of new lines and wires, mostly telephone, erected in Inspector's districts during the last five years : —

190S 190S. t. 1904. 1905. 1906. 1807. Poles. [ Wire. j Poles. Wire. Poles. Poles :S. ' V Wire. Poles. Wire. Poles, j Wire. Auckland Christchurch Dunedin Nelson .. Wellington M. ch. 44 50 4 40 30 0 47 23 15 60 M. di. M. ch. M. ch. I M. ch. M. ch. 173 20 62 70 371 10 I 63 30 I 101 50 111 0 16 60 64 60 57 20 165 40 76 20. 81 60 ;166 0 |136 50 i 400 20 51 30 3 20 3 40 25 15 '■ 152 1 158 30 33 0 ]ll6 40 !128 71 ! 592 78 M. ch. 135 60 111 30 48 40 146 67 156 35 M. ch. 494 40 170 8 392 20 217 49 641 40 M. ch. 139 60 121 0 1 90 47 ;245 16 104 43 M. ch. 350 60 518 20 262 20 484 77 690 74 Totals 142 13 570 20 197 50 J721 70 I 411 I 26 |l,412 29 [598 72 _J 1,915 77 701 6 2,307 11