ANTOMATIC TELEPHONES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 23 June 1924, Page 5

ANTOMATIC TELEPHONES.

PROGRESSIVE POLICY. It will he interesting to record that the installing of automatic telephones is being ’ pushed forward in several centres by the Department. In conversation with a- Star representative at Stratford on Friday, Mr. McNamara, assistant secretary, said that the policy of the Department was to progress ail the time, and consequently it had been 'decided that the next batch of installations of the automatic telephones would be Hawera, Stratford, Dannevirke, and Whangarei. One great point that weighed with the Department was the saving of labour and the facility for service ( to the subscriber. These were important factors, and much weight was naturally attached to them. The Department was out to secure every advantage possible in the service, and everything that was likely to facilitate the work was given every consideration. He added that Mr. Markman was going to the Internationa] Conference, hut more important than thi s was the opportunity' of seeing and studying working conditions in cities, say, up to half a million inhabitants, where ideas for improvement suitable to the cities and towns of the Dominion could he gathered and sent hack here for consideration. In this way great value could ho secured by the visits of departmental officers to countries overseas. Sneaking on the"’subjeot at the Stratford banquet Mr. Coates stated that, while there had been a good deal of controversy, it had been at last decided hv Great Britain that the automatic system was the best. The advantage was that in the smaller exchanges continuous service could be given without an increase in the cost. Now Zealand had. however, not quite reached the stage in which the system could he put into complete operation.