TELEPHONE CONNECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1920, Page 8

TELEPHONE CONNECTION.

BACKBLOOKS REQUIREMENTS. DEPARTMENT DIFFICULTIES. The difficulty of telephonir communication in the country districts has been continually brought under notice by members of Parliament and others. It has been pointed out that in caso of sickness and accident many country districts are at a great disadvantage through persons being unable to obtain medical assistance expeditiously on account of there telephone within a reasonable distance. A department official was interviewed on the subject by a AVellington Times reporter, who learnt that the department was filly aware of -the difficulties the backblocks settlers were laboring under. "Many persons," he said, "wire jujder tie imsregsion *hat.„aU thjat was

required was to lay a wire after the manner in which water and gas mains are laid." This, he said, was a mistake. There were instances in the Dominion where there were breaks in district telephone cbnnections of from 15 to 30 miles, and applications had been received to have these connected up. No doubt if this work were carried out it would give a great amount of relief, but there were great difficulties to contend with. It had to be remembered that the.se lines were carrying their maximum of work, and to connect up two districts would mean the lowering of the efficiency of each by 50 per cent. When one telephone bell was rung it would similarly affect all the bells on the circuit, a conversation could be heard right 'along the section. The main difficulty might be got over by means of a switch between the districts, but as it would probably be'established at a farmhouse satisfaction could not be expected, and the department would be inundated with letters of complaint. The only satisfactory method of communication in the circumstances was the metallic circuit, and this could not possibly be undertaken until a supply of cable came to hand.''