Ship-to-Shore Telephone Popular

Chronicle (Levin), 2 August 1949, Page 7

Ship-to-Shore Telephone Popular

On every Tasman voyage of the Lnion Compsinv's vessel "^lonowai" ap average of ' 15 daily radio-telephonc calls are made bv passengers to friends nid business firms in New Zealanu Mo-t of the calls are on family or oth er private business, but oue made be tween two business men was suflicient lv importaiit to.take, 20 miniltes,._ . ,Reccjition is generally excellent, as th' ship has the choice of a number oi' u ave-lengths and can select a suitabb freipieiicy to obtaiu the best traiisniis sion. Oonversations are '' scrambled ' to eusure privacy.

Wheiu the ".Monowai" was in tiu Tasman recently, a eall was lodg ed by a passenger for a Napier iiuniber. Five niinutes later the conversation began. As the radio telephone service carries a prior itv, this speed is not exceptional. Sonu calls have been made li'alf a minute after they liavi] been lodged. It is a tnImte to the New Zealand postal system that maiiy calls to New Zealand ad dresses are .mipleted only after a per soii-to-])' !- i searcli from oue town t. another. ' ' m- call made on a recent voy tge to A civlaiul was iinally- completed when le reeipient was traced to Ro turua. Afthough the number of inwaru calls to the-ship from New Zealand are not as large as the outward, several art receivecl each day at sea. Only a few calls are made each voy age to-and from Australia. It is assum ed that this is because ihe service i.not generally known in the Common wealf'h and because the rates on tlic New Zealand link are niucli lower than those charged by the Australian Post Oilice. The liours on Ihe New Zealand link are from D a.m. to II a.m. anJ frem 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., although an urgent call can be made at any time. The Australian link is coutinuous. The "Monowai" is the only passenger ship on the New Zealand register, excepting the inter-island ferrv " llinej; m." htted with tliis equipment. •