Post and Telegraph News.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 July 1910, Page 4

Post and Telegraph News.

fTWMS FROM THlil DKPAHTMKXT'S AXXUAI, REPORT. wnu<m's TMiiKGirAi'iiv. A wireless telegraphy ctoiitoroncu of <lt*i e^ii N'« .represent!i if; Australia, Xeiw Zealand, and K>iji, and the Admiralty, met in Melbourne on the loth December, 1909, to discuss a stvhetmo l'or connecting New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific islands by wireless. Mr J. K. I/ogan, 1.5.0., Superintendent of Electric Linos, represented New Zealand. The. recommendations of the conference were as follows:— (1.) Establishment of high-power stations at Sydney, Doubtless Ray, •and Suva ; the Sydney station to be capable of communicating with Doubtless Pay, and Dou'htles.s Ray with Suva. (2.) Establishment of mediumpower stations at Tulagi (Solomon Islands), Ocean Island (Gilbert Archipelago), and Vila (Now Hebrides). (;J.) Rejection of proposals of Pacific Radio-telegraph Company. (I.) State control of system. (•").)' Cost of Vila and Tulagi stations to be borne by Imperial and Commonwealth Governments in. proportion of two-thirds and one-third respectively; any loss ou .working to be borne by same Governments in same proportions; the question- of the co-operation of French Government in establishment of Vila station to be left to Imperial Government. , ((>.) Cost of Fiji station to bo borne by Imperial Government, onethird ; Commonwealth, one-fourth; X'e.w Zealand, one-sixth; and Fiji, one-ourth; any loss oil .annual working. to be borne in same proportions; I'iji to pay additional contribution ii station used in connection with a local b'ijiau system. ((.) Cost of Ocean Island .station, capable of communication with Fiji, to be borne 'by Tmpc-rial Government, two-thirds; Commonwealth, one-third; the Pacific Phosphates Companv to guarantee against loss on working-expenses and sinking fund. - «■ (8.) Embodiment of wireless system for Western Pacific in an agreement between Governments interested, and for executive control and management by High Commissioner western Pacific. Now Zealand's liability for other than for the Doubtless Rav station would be £2,000 for the Suva station. Tho resolutions have' been agreed to by the New Zealand Government. Tenders have been invited for the erection of five wireless-telegraph stations to meet the requirements of defence, the navy, and the mercantile marine service in tho dominion. Provision is made for high-power stations at or near Doubtless Rav and Rluff. with a range of 1,250 nautical miles, and throe mediumpower stations will command ships a,t Pea for a distance of 000 nautical mile.s, and the Sumner one will reach the Chatham Islands. Doubtless Ray will command Sydney and Fiji, and communicate -with vessels of the navy and the mercantile marine. The stations above mentioned will also he a.ble tlo intercommunicate with each other, either direct or by tra nsnvission. Shirs a-pproachi ng Xew Zealand from any direction equipped with wireless apparatus will •'•"relrre lil> aide to communicate with 0110 or other of these stations.

TKLWHOXE EXOHAXG ES. Si'veiitct'ii uie.w exchanges wore opened (luring the year, the ninitlier of subscribers increased l»y 2,104 mid :Mte total nuniber of coiiitection.s bv 2,848. r lhe total number of exchanges now is 103, made up of 30 cent nil ami .suh-exclm nges. The toital number of conueotioiiis is 29,081, comparted with 20,833 in 1009. They may be classified n.s follows: I'iiying, 22,242; free, 2; bureaux, 2,050; service, 312: extensions. 4,409. Xew coiNicctioii.s numbered 3,711, and those given up 1,314. The increase in connections is ecjiiial to 10-01 pei - cent. On tho_ 31st March. 1910, there were 1,2< 0 miles of telephone-line and 35,233 mile.s of wire. Owing to increasing num'ber of subscribers, new switchboards wore installed at To Arolia, Paeroa, TrKuiti. Greytown, Kinibolton, Man•aia, Opunake, Pah'lttua, "Waiipawa, Waitara. Woodville, Picton, and Kumara. Two sections wero added tio tlio Auckland Exchange sw-itch'board, in<creasing the capacity to 3,599. The. cent ral-liattery cf|iii)>men.t. which wji.s brought into operation at Tnvercargill nn.d Timaru iu .Tunc, 1909, has given entire satisfaction to subscribers, besides greatly facilitating .switching operations. At Hastings, the conversion to metallic circuit and the installation of the central-battery system nrc well forward. The conversion of exchange subscriber's circuits 'from oartlnwoirking to metallic was completed at Aucklaud, Wellington, \Vanga.nui, and Christchurch.

Preliminary stops have .beon taken to establish the nit'ita I lie-circuit system at the .following exchanges: Xew Plyiiifvntli, Feilding, Ha.wer.a, Palmerston North, Napier, Gisborne. and Mastcirton. In- August, 1909j tlie work of laying conduits to provide for plaoiiig the telephone cables in Auckland City underground was commenced. (>2B chains of duets are now ready for receiving cables. Over five miles lead cable, representing 1,615 miles 74 chains of twin wire, have been drawn into the underground duets in Wellington Oity. 7(i9 miles 18 chains of this are in use, and on completion of the splices many overhead circuits will be diverted underground and a quantity of overhead cable dismantled.