End of an era

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 41, 3 April 1984, Page 1

End of an era

The Ohakune telephone exchange'is to go automatic next week. The cuf-over is due to take place next Tuesday 10 April at 10.30. Then the manual exchange — known as a Branch Multiple Switch Board — which has served Ohakune and the Waimarino for the past 27 years will make way for its automated replacement in the name of progress and at a cost of about $640,000. The new exchange will enable telephone subscribers ^o make direct STD ^■ubscriber toll dialling) calls to any part of the country with a similar facility and ISD (international subsriber dialling) calls to any part of the world with compatible equipment. Work on putting in the new and much more compact automatic exchange has been going on for more than a year since King Country MP Mr Jim Bolger made the announcement in November 1982. But the need for a change had been recognised long before that ... the manual BMSB exchange had not been able to cope adequately with Ohakune's booming population and the development of new industries such as skiing and pulp milling. It had a maximum number of 660 lines with the result that already more than 100 subsribers were having to share party lines.

The new automatic exchange was made in Japan by the Nippon Electric Company (NEC) and has an initial capacity of 800 lines. This should be sufficient to meet existing and anticipated demand but the number of lines can easily be doubled to its maximum of 1 600 if necessary. Two members of Ohakune's telephone technician branch — Mike Burgess and Lex Billington — spent two months in Wellington last year learning how to put the new exchange together. And both are keeping their fingers crossed for next Tuesday! The cut-over ceremony will be performed by King Country MP, Mr Jim Bolger, at 10.30 when he makes the first call from the Ohakune Club to a local identity, 84-year old Eric Fetzer, who has lived in Ohakune all his life. The official ceremony will begin at 10.00am when representatives of local authorities, businesses and the public at large will be invited to gather in the upstairs lounge of the Ohakune Club. After the ceremony morning tea will be served. Ohakune's Postmaster, Sam Swarbrick, asks all Ohakune telephone subscribers to avoid using their phones if possible for a few minutes either side of 10.30. This will allow the cutover to be made without having

to interrupt calls. Emergency services will not be affected by this restriction. Mr Swarbrick also advises subscribers that the new Wanganui and District telephone directory will be distributed in the next few days but on no account should the Ohakune numbers in that directory be used until after the cutover takes place on Tuesday. Detailed instructions on how to use the new STD and ISD systems and the services available are listed on page 18 of the new directory. The Ohakune Post Office Lines staff have been installing the new types of phone in homes and offices ... it is expected that between 80 and 100 subscribers will shortly have the new Pert phone. Lines staff have also been changing and updating existing telephones so that the can be used next week ... as many as 150 didn't have dials! When the manual service is replaced next week it will be the end of an era of personal service which some will welcome, others will regret. Those most affected will be the telephone exchange staff. Of the present 26 operators only nine will be retained to handle enquiries and operator-assisted toll calls. One of the few places still operating a manual exhange in this area is Taihape — they don't go automatic until the end of next year. To call Taihape, Waimarino subscribers will still have to dial 010 for an operatorassisted toll call. A display of new telephone equipment and available services is to be mounted in the window of Kapai Bookshop during the introductory period. Enquiries regarding telephones and telephone services will be handled at the Ohakune Post Office.