F.—l

XXXV

The instrument-rooms at Marton and Hastings have been refitted. A Morse duplex is now superimposed on the Masterton-Wellington metallic"circuit. y • -_• Sound-proof cabinets have been erected in Mangatainoka and Te Nui offices for bureau purposes. Telephone Exchanges. Three new exchanges were opened as follows : Ashhurst, with 14 subscribers ; Levin, with 35 subscribers ; and Taihape, with 42 subscribers. The exchange at Otakeho was closed. In connection with the Wellington exchange, the metallic-circuit cable erected during'the year contains 513J miles of double wire, making a total of 2,653 miles erected to date. Of this, 1,494 miles of wire are in use, and 1,159 miles are spare for future use. The total length of poles in use in connection with the Wellington exchange is 54 miles 79 chains, and of wire 3,321 miles 11 chains. The length of metallic circuit cable erected to date of all sizes totals 35J miles. Six miles of existing lines in the city and suburbs were reconstructed with larger poles. The main line from Kaiwarawara to the Wellington Telegraph-office has been overhauled, and two 30-core gutta-percha cables erected between Kaiwarawara and the esplanade, a distance of one mile. The aerial wires released by these cables were dismantled. In the city 75 miles of aerial wire displaced by the erection of metallic circuit cables was dismantled. The old hne across the Evans Bay-Lyell Bay isthmus has been dismantled, and the wires were made metallic circuit and run along the tram route. Owing to the work of straightening the railway-line between Petone and Wellington, 3 miles of new poles have been constructed along the new road-line. The telegraph wires and metallic-circuit cables from Petone and the Hutt will be erected thereon shortly. This work will be continued southwards as the railway-work progresses. The total number of subscribers to the Wellington exchange on the 31st March, 1908, was 2,972 (an increase of 266 during the year). Of these, 2,803 are paying, 73 are free, and 96 are bureau connections. There are also 814 extension telephones, making a total of 3,786 telephones in use on the exchange. The total increase of telephones for the year was 430. 2,095 subscribers are connected by metallic circuits (including 190 partly so), leaving 877 subscribers still on earth-working circuits. The switchboard-accommodation is nearly full. Two new sections have arrived, and will be put in position as soon as possible; but before this can be done an addition to the existing building is necessary. The work will be undertaken shortly. On the 20th January, 1908, the work of laying conduits to provide for placing telephone cables underground was commenced. On the 31st March, 1908, 27|- chains of duct track had been completed, containing 227 chains of ducts ready to receive the cable. Thirty-nine telephones were destroyed by fire during the year, as follows : At Eltham, 1 ; Gisborne, 2; Hastings, 12 ; Marton, 2; Napier, 1; Waipukurau, 1 ; Wanganui, 1; Wellington, 18; and Woodville, 1. New multiple switchboards have been installed at Gisborne, Napier, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, and Wanganui. Owing to an increasing number of subscribers, new annunciators have been installed at Eltham, Featherston, Levin, Marton, Okaiawa, Pahiatua, and Waitara. A new switchboard, fitted for 400 subscribers, and a metallic circuit and bureau board, have been fitted at the Masterton exchange in a new room on the first floor. The exchange at Dannevirke has been transferred to the new exchange-room, and a new metalliccircuit bureau board installed. As the electric tramways now being established in Wanganui would interfere with the telephone earth system there, the installing of metallic circuits to serve that exchange has been laid out, and will shortly be begun. A new line has been constructed for 3 miles south of Wanganui, and the exchange wires separated from the telegraph wires. The establishment of exchanges at Kiwitea, Mangaweka, Mohaka, Shannon, and Tokomaru has been authorised, and construction is in progress or will be commenced early. There are 44 exchanges in the district, an increase of 2 for the year, All are working satisfactorily. The subscribers connected therewith aggregate 8,592, an increase of 1,416 for the year, as compared with 993 for the previous year. Of these connections 7,653 are paid for, 154 are free, and 785 are bureau connections. Extension telephones at the various exchanges number 1,304, an increase of 246, making a total of 9,896 telephones in use, as against 8,234 last year The number of telephones has increased by 1,662. There are 420 miles 10 chains of poles in the district, and 6,552 miles 7 chains of wire, exclusive of 59 miles 56 chains dead wire and 1,159 miles of metallic cable wires unallotted. Offices. New offices have been erected at Blackburn, Johnsonville, Taihape, and Waikanae. Thirty-one new offices were opened during the year, and two offices, Awawaro and Mangaramarama, were closed.