LINKING THE ISLANDS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 23 March 1926, Page 5

LINKING THE ISLANDS.

IMPROVING TELEPHONIC FACILITIES. ..- * By Telegraph—Press Association., BLENHEIM, March 22. A little coterie of otfic.uls oi the Post and Te egraph Department and the Marine Department have been in Marlborough during the last fewdny s > eompleting arrangements for iaying the new cable between Lyall Bay (Wellington) and Blind River, in Marlborough, which is to provide inter-island tele-, phonic communication at a* 1 hours of the day and night, in place of the present very restricted service in the “dead” hours of the night. Thus, when the cable is installed and the necessary shore stations erected, it will be a matter of course for business men of Christchurch, Dunedin, or any other large centre in the. South Island, to ring up Wellington, Palmerston; Auckland, or any large centre in the North Is'and.

These arrangements will not be complete for at least three or four months, but Blenheim and Nelson will be able to speak with Wellington at any liour of the day within the next fortnight or so, and the system be gradually extended until the whole of New Zealand is linked up by telephone. Jf weather conditions are iavourable the Tutanekai will steam into the vicinity of Blind River to-morrow, and the shore end of the cable wid be landed, and this section paid out,from,the shore. Its end wiil be buoyed, and the Tutanekai will then proceed to Lyall Ray, where she will land the North Island shore end, and return- to Blind River laving out the cab e behind lie r * At Blind Rivhr the cable will be joined up with the shore end, which will be located by, means of a buoy. , After that a temporary land line wilt be connected with the cable and B enheim and Nelson w.ll at (once have the privilege of 'telephonic- communication: witii Wellington, while the installation is, being completed : for the whole oi New Zea'nnd. ,