’PHONE TO LONDON.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5505, 25 November 1929, Page 2

’PHONE TO LONDON.

> REMARKABLE SUCCESS. £l5 FOR THREE MINUTES. Describing his recent experience in speaking by wireless telephone from Sydney to London, Sir William Noble, director of the General Electric Company, who was on a visit to Hamilton last week, told a Waikato Times reporter that “It was as good as you would have in this town, speaking to someone a hundred yards away.” A few years ago no one had dreamed that such a development was possible. It was wonderful to be able to converse with people 12,000 miles away. “The drawback to commercial wireless telephony,” said Sir William, is that we are asleep in England when you are awake here. : A telegram sent off in the afternoon from here would be ready for a man in London when he reached his office next morning. It is not so easy to arrange a telephone conversation. That is why it is not possible to have more than a limited service of about three hours a day. The time will be late in the afternoon in Australia and early in the morning in England. When I was speaking from Sydney late in the afternoon one of the men at the other end had just had his morning bath, and another was having breakfast. The atmospheric conditions would be bettei’ at midnight (Australian time), but most respectable people are in bed at that time, so it is proposed to arrange the service earlier. The time for the conversations will have to be arranged ahead. If you wished to speak to a friend in England or Sydney, advice would be sent the night before asking them to be ready to receive a message at such-and-such a time in the morning. You could not afford to wait while you were spending £l5 or so for three minutes’ conversation. They talk of making the charge either £l5 or £9 for three minutes. Not many people in Hamilton could afford that, but it is worth while for men with big business 'stakes. There is one American who uses the telephone to Britain for an hour a day. It costs him £180.”

Speaking of wireless telegraphy, Sir William said the beam system had proved a great success. ,There was only occasional delay due to atmospherics. Messages were sent at the rate of 200 words a minute.