TELEPHONE SERVICE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, 2 May 1941, Page 5

TELEPHONE SERVICE

CABLE FRACTURE DETECTED

DIFFICULT TO LOCATE

A. cable fracture has been detected in the telephone communications which, according to the postmaster, Mr L. G. Wood, will be responsible for the complaints having been received about the service from the exchange. The fracture, however, is not a large one and for that reason is difficult to locate, and it is hoped that subscribers will bear with the authorities for a short time while the large l task of inspection takes place:

It is considered that the cable has been fractiured in a place over which large lorries paSvS, and,, although rings "jump" the gap and are received by Central;, voices are not carried. This would give' subscribers the impression that their calls had not been answered, while actually the operators had 1 acknowledged! the- ring to find , no subscriber on the line.

Again when this happened—it might: be for some time—the cable may have been parted slightly by the passing of a vehicle over the fracture while with the transit of another truck shortly after the fracture would be altered in position to allow the passage of a voice. Thus the subscriber would have the impression that he had Vo ring repeatedly to raise central whereas the fault has been a mechanical one. Mr Wood states that t,hei faultr men are concentrating on locating the portion of cable which isi damaged, and. it is, hoped, to restorei efficient service shortly. In the meantime the indulgence of the sub-* scribers is sought. In the article on the, telephone exchange published last issue a typographical error was responsible for the number of post office employees serving, or about to serve 1 ,, in the army being stated as 300 instead of 3000. The fact that '>o many have, joined the colours; is one of. which the department and it's members are. justly proud.