A TELEPHONE EXCHANGE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 210, 27 October 1880, Page 4

A TELEPHONE EXCHANGE.

(Evening Post) It has been decided, we believe, to take steps almost immediately, under die powers conferred by the Electric Telegraph Amendment Act, passed las; session, for establishing a system of telephone exchanges in the four citieß arid chief mercantile centres of tbe colony — Wellington, Auckland, Christ; church, and Duuedio» Under this aystem every cilice or bouee.wboseowner deeireß if, will be conneoted by tele phone with the central telegraph station, a small annual charge being : made for the use of the wires and instruments. The teUphonio wires will be bo ordered that any two can be connected at the central office when required. Tbe method of working will, therefore, he as follows : — A person (whom we will call A) desiring to communicate by telephone' with another (let us -say B) in the same town— also having telephonic connection — will press a button, which rings an electric bell in the central office. The attention of the operator being attracted, th< name of the private office desired to be spoken with will be given to him, and he will at once " switch " the one wire on to the other, thus putting the two in telephonic communication, a bell bei ing similarly rung in the office about i to be spoken to in order to call atientioc ! there. - This being elected, A en 4 B can carry on a' conversation', as loug ac ; they nquire to. We presume some . limit of duration will be fixed, and thai ; tbe privilege o( '• talking against time " will bo withheld from telephonists, | that being: the. especial prerogative ;of our legislators. . The convenience of tbia system of telephone com- ! oiunication to the mercantile cooa- : munity should be very great, eepeciall) id the large saving of time it will iffeci !by enabling people to epebk. to one another 'direct from oppoeiio ends of v city, instead of having either to mak* personal visits or to write long explanatory messages, which could be much betier and more clearly given verbally in a few words, and then seno tbem by messengers, all involving vane needless extecse,- and waste of ime, and possibility ot error or uui& : understanding. We should imagine that very -wide advantage will be taker.' ot these facilities about to be offered,

and that the experiment will prove a complete success. We understand that the Government have obtained a large supply of instruments of the most improved type, and will proceed nt once to have them brought into practical use. Although the experiment is to , be tried at first only in the four princi- ' pal cities of New Zealand, we believe that if its success should turn out to be ns greet as is esrpeeted, the application of the system will probably be extended by degrees to all other places in the colony where there is likely to be eufficient business to pay for iteelf. The remerkable convenience of the plan lies in the fact that any office conneoted by telephone with the central office con communicate wi<h any other office similarly connected. Every business man will see at a glance what a Urge amount of epistolary correspondence memorandum-writino, running abouf, waiting for personal inlerviewß, breaking of appointments, loss of tinap, in convenience, and annoyance generally will "be saved by the introduction" of this useful appliance furnished to us by modern science, and we feel sure that our announcement of i's intended early adoption in this colony will be hailed with unanimous satisfaction;. ■ . ■ -'" ' ' " " *■ . . '