Mr J. R. Smith

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 7, 31 August 1928, Page 8

Mr J. R. Smith

NV R. J. R. SMITH, District Telegraph Engineer, Wellington, is betas promoted to the position of officer }in charge of the Post and Telegraph Research Laboratory. Mr. Smith entered*® the service in 1894. as a telegraph messenger in the Ashburton office. After nine years’ service on the West Coast, Mr. Smith was in 1908 transferred to Wanganui. There he remained until 1911, when he was. transferred: from the general to the engineering division of the service and given an appointment in the laboratory. Shortly after joining the engineering division, Mr. Smith assisted with the installation of the first permanent wireless station in Wel-lington-VLW---and a little later was engaged with the chief electrician in testing out the high power station aft Awanui, in the Far North.

In 1916 Mr. Smith was ‘despatched to Samoa, where, under the military authorities, he took charge of the wireless station at Apia, the installation of which was then on the point of completion. ‘Two years later saw him in Rarotonga, engaged in the erection of a 14 k.w. station there.’ He returned from Rarotonga at the.end of 1918, and took up the responsible position of telegraph engineer in charge of Wellington City. | ° As the results of Mr. Gibbs's investigations abroad, the operations of the laboratory are to be largely extended, inainly in the direction of research work, so that New Zealand may be enabled to keep pace with modern developments, particularly in regard to wireless telephony and radio.