THE TELEPHONE

Hokitika Guardian, 31 July 1928, Page 1

THE TELEPHONE

EXPERT’S TOUR ABROAD. IMPROVEMENTS FORECASTED • AYELLINGTON, July 29. In his Special Report on telegraph and telephone engineering developments in Europe and America, laid on the table of the House of Representatives, Air A. Gibbs, Chief Telegraph Engineer, mentions that since the visit abroad of his predecessor in 1920, no engineering representative of the Department has been engaged on such a mission. The time, he says, was ripe for an enquiry of this nature, owing to tho remarkable advances made in tho communication art, which received great impetus and intensive development during the Great War, in which there was an extraordinary demand for electrical signalling systems. Mr Gibbs was able to confer with the numerous manufacturers with whom the New Zealand department carries on a large purchasing business in telegraph and telephone plant and equipment. In addition calls were made at forty different- works, engaged upon various sections of telegraph and telephone manufacture. Several of our telephone exchanges are outgrowing their term of useful life and the capacity for which they were designed. Special attention was therefore paid to the developments now taking place in connect tion >vith such equipment, and these prospective works may now be planned with full knowledge of the best and most recent methods of meeting their specific needs. NO AIORE “INFORAIATION.” An important alteration in regard to tho giving of information, time, etc., to telephone subscribers, is forecasted. Afr Gibbs states that in the most efficient telephone systems of the world it is not now tho custom to give general information to su'bscribei*s over the telephone, a.s is done in tho larger centres in New Zealand. This practice was at one time followed, but has been abandoned for two important reasons: (1) That tho giving of special services of tlio nature referred to, as well as information relating to publicevents, causes a diversion of the telephone facilities for which the subscriber normally pays, and a consequent. degradation of its general utility. ’lbis renders it difficult for subscribers in branch exchanges to obtain the usual rapid communication with other parts of the system in cases of •sickness, lire, urgent business, and similar uses.

(2) Since tho advent of radio telephone broadcasting it. is generally agreed that the broadcasting station is the more fit and proper medium for file communication of information o' general public interest. This jiopular medium is capable of communicating with all points in a country without causing tho dislocation of other important services. It is therefore, argued that those desiring to be kept posted in the progress of important events, should lie subscribers to the la teet scientific: means for the instantaneous and widespread dissemination of information of a general character. LONG DISTANCE SERVICES.

The time has, in Air Gibbs’ opinion, arrived, when due attention should be given to long distance telephony. Afr Gibbs states in bis report that in New Zealand we are still in the chrysalis stage, of long distance telephone development, and in many instances the quality of the service falls considerably short of that maintained in the Fading telephone countries of the world. In New Zealand this is not a simple economic problem, because we have to provide n service between points that are not only remote, but sparsely populated, but it is stated that a khort-siglited policy at this stage, would throw hack the advance of the art in this country, and serioUsly prejudice tho sound development of what has now become a worldwide necessity.