INVENTOR OF THE TELEPHONE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 120, 30 August 1910, Page 5

INVENTOR OF THE TELEPHONE

DR. BELL IN NEW ZEALAND. AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW. By Telegraph.—Press Association, j Invercargill, Last Night. Dr, Graham Bell, inventor of the tele-' phone, arrived at the Bluff this afternoon by the Moana, and spent the evening at Invercargill. He is accompanied' by Mrs. Bell and Mr. and Mrs. F. H. I Baldwin. Mr. Baldwin has ' achieved j fame in aerial circles''iri America. The] party is making a tour of Australia and New Zealand and ,go to-morrow to Queenstown, thence to Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Rotorua, and Auckland, leaving Wellington again >n time to catch a boat sailing from Sydney on October 5 for the Philippines. In an interview to-night, Br. Bell explained that the trip was purely a pleasure one, but in Australia and Tasmania he .had recognised as a penalty of being the inventor of the telephone, that it was only right and proper for him to give advice when asked for it. He had therefore, when in Melbourne, given evidence on the telephone system before a postal commission. Possibly before j leaving New Zealand he would have an opportunity of inspecting the system in the Dominion, tout time did not per-; mit him to visit the Invercargill ex- j change. He had been somewhat disappointed in the system in Australia, but had nothing - *, but praise for that in Tasmania. He stated that Captain Scott in his polar expendition intended to try to use the telephone in those regions. He proposes to lay wires along the ice so as to keep the various sledge parties in communication with the base of supplies. That appealed to him, not only in regard to his connection with the telephone, but owing to the memories it brought back of the ill-fated Jeannette expedition under the leadership of his friend, Lieut. De Long. The Lieut, had pressed him very hard to go with him, but being married, he declined. It was Lieut. De Long's idea to use tfie telephone in the same manner as that proposed by Captain Scott, and he (Dr. Bell) presented him with a complete telephone outfit, but the lieutenant never had a chance of trying it. Tlie Jennette went. ; down crushed by the ice and only one boat managed to get fyway, that one being . under the command of Engineer (now Admiral) Melville. Lieutenant De Long's opinion was that a good deal of the failures of expeditions was due to men lostng courage, as they got further afield, but with a telephone, which they would always be able to use, they would not get that despondent feeling with only ice and snow around them. Captain Scott's sledge parties toould be able to talk to comrades and the- telephone would 'be put to use beyond the dreams of the days gone by. On the question 1 of wireless telephones, Dr. Bell remarked that they were moving in America, and so far they were able to operate at a distance of 14 miles. Although the system was oriy in its experimental stage, 36 yeare ago the telephone was unknown. He invented it an 1874, and made the first instrument in 1875, which was exhibited in 1876 and the first company formed in 1877. Dr. Bell also remarked that he was exceedingly interested in laerial locomotion, and Mr. Baldwin was the first man to fly in America. During his stay in 'New Zealand he intended to make a point of studying the social legislation of the Dominion, which he had been told set a pattern to the world, and he desired .to learn whether that reputation was borne out by facts, . j