"TIME" SERVICE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 197, 6 September 1937, Page 8

"TIME" SERVICE

Our ()wn Correspondent.)

Not To Be Reinstated On Telephones

(Proro

WELLINGTON, This Day. Though expending revenue is taking the l'ost Oflice into widening tields iu tlie next financial year the voice of "tinie" will not be keard again over the telephone wires. Tlie time-service was one of the victims of the sluinp, its abolition being announced in 1931 by the Fost-master-General. The saving), it Avas estimated, would be about £9000 a year. Three tbings conspired to bring about the end of "Time." The first was that it cost money when money was needed, the second was that it was too popular in the wrong way, the third that it placed too great a strain on the automatie service. The familiar number 396 was dialled by everybody, including eclioolchildren. Reports of operators at Auckland at the time of ending the service showed that as many as 2000 calls had been received by "Time" between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., a sudden leap which led to the suspicion that children were playing witli the telephone. This imposed a tax on the telephone service which hung up other people desirous of using the telephone. Tliat is to say the fawiliar humming sound which indicates the "road ciear'' was delajred. The only way to meet this situation would he to instal more cquipment and this, in a period of sluinp the l'ost and TeJegraph Department, was unwilling to do. lt is sfill unwilling to do so, aocordiug to Mr G. McNamara. DireetorGeneral of the l'ost Oliice. The view taken to-day is that for cities and large towus tliere are niany other means of g.etting the time, radios, clocks, whistles_ etc. Tliere was littJe protest when the city and town service was discontiu'ued, and there have been few demauds for its reinstitution. And in countiy towns, in rural areas, the time is always given by operators as a matter of courtesy, so that the lariner and the backblocks man who has a telephone are not isolated. In addition, to reinstitute the service would he to condemn girl operators to a very fatiguing and monotonous work, oue which makes it necessary to have relays of girls available for the iob.