TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3279, 26 July 1911, Page 4

TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION.

EXPERTS IN GISBORNE. THE WIRELESS PROPOSITION. There are at present in Gisborne three prominent officials of the Telegraphic Department.* The party com prises Mr 0. Orchison, Chief Engineer of the Department, Mr Shrimpion, telegraph engineer of the 'Wellington district, and Mr Bourko, an expert in wireless telegraphy. The chief object of their visit is to furnish an estimate of the cost or establishing a direct telegraphic circuit from Gisborne to Auckland, via Motu and Opotiki. The party yesterday journeyed as far as Waikohu in order to satisfy themselves as to certain fads relating to the nature of the country at this end : . The popular opinion as to this project is that the direct line to Auckland is urgently needed, and that it would prove a great benefit not only to this district, but also to the Bay of Plenty district. T he matter will, of course, not be decided upon until the estimates for 1912 are before Parliament, but there is every reason to believe that the claims for such a circuit will receive everv consideration. Chatting to a member of the party last evening a “Times” reporter mentioned the proposition to establish a. wireless station on the section at the rear of the Post Office, and adjoining the Courthouse site, and asked'if the Ivaiti Hill would not prove an obstacle to messages. This matter was not. said the engineer. considered a very serious one as the hill was a comparatively small one when other places were taken into consideration. If this was to bo a terminal station, however, the case might k- different.. In Wellington the experimental station set up was in a basin, and was quite walled in with hills, but despite this it had been found possible to send and receive messages to and from vessels SCO miles awav. Those in charge of the Wellington'station had e jl en been able to detect sounds as far off as Fiji and Sydney, and considering that the station was only an experimental one the outlook was very satisfactory. The row of poplar trees in Customhouse street seemed, in the opinion of one member of the partv, to present greater obstacle, than Haiti hill. In leaf or after rain the trees would he dense and would have to be removed if were set up on the site proposIt is understood that while boffinlocked upon as a boon in cases of emergency the wireless proposition is not considered by experts to be as yet a sound commercial undertaking. ' Further <1 ovolopmc n t s in 'regard to the nroyxisod local station will doubtless be awaited with interest.