F.—l.

MULTI-CHANNEL CARRIER-FREQUENCY TELEGRAPH SYSTEMS. Ph oarri ® r ; fre q ue i nc y telegraph system is now being installed for operation between CI ristchurch and Greymouth in order to provide for the restoration of direct telegraphic facilities between 3h ristchurch and the principal West Coast stations. The system is so designed that it can be operated over the same pair of wires as the existing three-channel carrier telephone system. The one existing Srtelegraph mllges ° f ° arrying simultaneousl y four telephone conversations and TELEPHONE TOLL SERVICE. Toll Traffic. , , numbe r of toll calls handled during the year exceeded last year's record figure by 144,673 the mfuo S ' i Jon ?f„ an 1I1 I c ' rease of almost 1 per cent. Toll revenue for the year amounted to t700,143, an increase ot £90,412, or 13 per cent, over the figures for the previous year. Increase in Toll Rates. In conjunction with the increases made in postal and telegraphic charges following the outbreak of war the charges for toll calls were increased from the Ist October by the addition of Id. for each 6d. or traction of bd. m cases m which the ordinary charge exceeded 3d. Facilities for Toll Calls by Public when Offices closed. The multi-com slot telephones installed at Dunedin and Christchurch in 1938 to enable toll calls to be made after office hours having proved very successful, similar facilities were provided during the year at Wellington and Trentham Military Camp. It is the intention to install similar machines at Auckland Hamilton, Lower Hutt, Palmerston North, Timaru, Wanganui, and Wellington South. CARRIER-CURRENT TELEPHONE SYSTEMS. Carrier-current telephone systems brought into service during the year are as follows ■— A uckl and-Wellington ..One three-channel system. uckland Napier .. .. _ One three-channel system. Aucklana-Tauranga .. .. .. .. One three-channel system. Auckland--1 hames .. .. .. .. One single-channel system. Auckland-Kaitaia . . .. . . . . One single-channel system. Whangarei- itaia • • • ■ • • • • One single-channel system. Hamilton-Jfauranga One single-channel system. Tauranga Gisborne .. .. .. .. One single-channel system, a merston North-Napier .. .. .. , . One three-channel system. Welhngton-Wanganui .. .. .. .. One three-channel system.* Christchurch-Greymouth One three-channel system. unedm Cromwell . . . . .. .. One single-channel system. Dunedin-Roxburgh One single-channel system.

* One channel extended to Hawera.

EXTENSION OF TOLL SYSTEMS. Complementary to the steadily increasing number of telephone subscribers is the demand for toll service, and to ensure that inter-communication between offices is available with a minimum of delay the traffic-carrying capacity of existing toll circuits is extended where necessary. A large number of improved and additional outlets were provided during the year. NEW ZEALAND SUBMARINE CABLES. COOK STRAIT CABLES. In August last a clean break in the Cook Strait four-core telephone cable at a point approximately fifteen miles from Lyall Bay resulted in the loss of four inter-Island telephone channels and left the Department with only two cables across Cook Strait, the new coaxial cable and one single-core telegraph cable. By a special adaptation of the carrier system, an additional circuit was established over each of these two cables, but in view of the increase in traffic expected on the opening of the Centennial Exhibition arrangements were made, in conjunction with the Marine Department, to equip the Government steamer " Matai " to undertake the repair of the four-core cable. Communication over this cable was re-established on the 17th December. The repair work necessitated the laying of approximately three and a half miles of new cable In addition, four and a half miles of existing cable was picked up and relaid. A certain amount of preliminary survey work was necessary, and this was carried out with the aid of a small vessel the s.s. Tuatea." In July last No. 1 Oterangi Bay-White's Bay single-core telegraph cable developed a fault which was found to be due to a break at a point about one nautical mile from Oterangi Bay. With the exception of No. 5 Lyall Bay-White's Bay cable, all of the single-core telegraph cables across Cook Strait are now out of commission, but no action is being taken to repair these old-type cables as it will be practicable to increase progressively the number of channels over the coaxial cable to meet traffic developments.

3—F. 1.

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