RADIO-TELEPHONE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 87, 9 October 1931, Page 9

RADIO-TELEPHONE

WELLINGTON & AMSTERDAM

FIRST COMMERCIAL CALL

Tho first couimoreial telephone conversation between residents of Wellington and Amsterdam, Holland, and, incidentally, tlio farthest commercial telephone call from New Zealand, was held lust evening, when Mr. A. Van Kooijcn, at his rcsideneo in Hataitai, was connected by telephono with Amsterdam so that he could talk on business and private matters.

A connection had been made the previous evening, but tho conditions were not favourable, and at 7.15 p.m. yesterday, when Mr. Van Kooijen was at dinner, he received a call to say that Holland was waiting for him, and he was at once placed in direct communication with Amsterdam. The conversation, which was conducted . ill Dutch, lasted for fifteen minutes, but as in every telephone call over such a long distance fading occurs and some speech has to be. repeated, only the actual commercial conversation is charged for, and this was assessed at £20. worth— eight minutes at a charge of £2" 10s a minute. The charge to London.is £2 5s a minute, and from London to Holland the charge is 5s a minute. The conversation was quite successful, although better ones have been held between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Before such a call is made the circuit and the instrument and the voice of the person who is to make the call are tested. All the arranging of the call is done by the officials of the telephone exchange. The conversation is transmitted from New Zealand by the'station on the hill above Tinakori road to Sydney, and from Sydney to London, and from London to Amsterdam. From Amsterdam tho conversation is carried to London, and from there to the receiving station on Mount Crawford, without Sydney's assistance. If a call is made from any part of New Zealand it is transmitted from Wellington, and no toll charge is made between the various centres and Wellington in. the case of an overseas call. . ,