STRAIT TELEPHONES

Hokitika Guardian, 4 May 1926, Page 1

STRAIT TELEPHONES

INCREASING USE OF NEW FACILITY. WELLINGTON, Alay 1. Increasing use is being made of the telephone cable across Cook Strait which was laid recently and lias provided a new communication facility for about a month past. The average number of calls being made daily from Wellington to Blenheim and Nelson and district is between thirty and thirty-five, and it is expected that the patronage will increase considerably when the existence of the new service becomes better known, and when the facility is extended to centres north of Wellington and in other parts of tlie South Island. Pending completion of a section of cable line at the other side of the Strait, people north of Wellington are unable to make use of the new cable yet, but this work should be finished in a few months, when communication will be possible between any centre in the North Island and any centre in the South Island.

Although the new convenience lias been in existence for several weeks, there still appear to bo many people, including business men who might frequently benefit by the service, who are unaware of it. Alarlborougli and Nelson business men who previously have stressed their comparative isolation are very appreciative of the new connection with Wellington. Interisland communication is fairly quickly effected through “tolls.” and conversation was carried on as easily as between two offices in the city. The service at present is an improvised one, and although speech is satisfactory, it is stated that conditions will bo very greatly improved when tlie new amplifying and repeating apparatus is installed at tho terminal points of the cable. Ample circuits are available to give a quick service. Although the cost of the new cable is very heavy, it has been decided to make the same charges for communicaeations over it as are now made for calls over land lines. Thus communication with the South Island will be no more costly to the subscriber than connection with a station at the same distance away in the North Island. Charges for a three-minutes conversation for a Wellington subscriber arc lOd to Seddon, Is 2d to Blenheim, ‘ls fid to Picton, and 2s 5d to Nelson. From 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. the above rates are reduced by half, and between mid-night and 6 a.m. tlie half-rate covers a six-minute instead of a three minute conversation. Urgent calls may be made at double the ordinary day rates.