NEW PHONE BOOKS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 680, 4 June 1929, Page 8

NEW PHONE BOOKS

ALTERATION IN LAY-OUT NUMBERS AFTER NAMES (From Our Resident Reporter) WELLINGTON, Monday. A policy of radical alteration which has been laid down for the future telephono books of tho whole Dominion is defended by the Tost and Telegrapr Department. The changes decided upon will T 1 tail tho issue of books with distinctly larger pages, two columns of names tt> a page, and the telephone numbers set in columns after tho names, instead of before them. Tbe type used in the new books will be no different from that at present in use. Already such a book has been issued In Dunedin. Christchurch will follow in September, and Auckland early in the New Year. In one or two instances the next issue of the telephone list will follow tho old form, as the changes, which involve a totally new lay-out for the book, cannot be made in time.

Answering criticism of the new book, the department points out that such books are almost general throughout the world, and that New Zealand Is now being brought up to date. The new arrangement is claimed to be better, because it permits the eye to read on to tho end of the line, instead of moving over the name and then being cast back to the column at the lefthand side.