Radio Telephone Service Popular

Chronicle (Levin), 4 September 1948, Page 4

Radio Telephone Service Popular

The radio telephone service between New Zealand and overseas becomes more and more popular. The number of calls made has steadily increased from 7310 in 1946 to 8835 in 1947, and this year's total is expected to be considerably larger as about 3000 calls have been made to Australia alone over thelast five months. The service to Australia is the most popular, its share of the 1946 total oemg 4557, and of the 1947 total 6063. Auckland and Wellington make most use of this ser-. vice, rollowed by Dunedin and Christchurch . in that order. The increase in pppuiarity was mdicated by an announcement by the Postmaster-General last week of the inauguration of a * special Sunday service to Australia. The radio telephone service was reopened' after.. the war lapse to Australia In- September, 1945, to the u'mted States m Decemoer of the same year, and to Canada the f oi- j .owing February. The service is also available to the United Kingdom and Western Europe through the Sydney termmal ahd to Mexico and Cuba through San Francisco. The banadian service is also transmitted via San Francisco. The service to the United Kingdom will sventually go .direct through the station at Himatangi, near Palmerston North. The peak monthly total t& date vas last December during the Dhristmas rush, when 1122 calls were ,made. Highest total- since then was last April with 93T calls.