TELEPHONE MARVELS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3389, 2 December 1911, Page 10

TELEPHONE MARVELS.

LONDON CAN NOW SPEAK TO SWITZERLAND. HEARING OVER 620 MILES. i . ”1 am speaking from Bale; is that London ?’•’ A telephone subscriber in the City area, who .answered a prolonged ringing of his telephone bell, was surprised beyond measure to hear quite clearly the above words spoken in Switzerland. It was explained that the call was an experimental one to ascertain if speech could be maintained between the two places, and a short conversation followed. Speaking in excellent English the operator in Switzerland asked what sort of weather London was having, and was surprised to learn that it was dull and cold. “It. is quite sunny and fine here,” she said. "This call goes through Belfort (on the French frontier) and Paris and so on to London.” Although the distance between the two speakers was over 620 miles, conversation was maintained quite easily, and the words as they came from Bale were so distinct that they could easily have been take down in shorthand. LONDON" AND AMSTERDAM. Several other successful experiments in long-distance telephony were carried out last month in England, an official stated. One day a call came through from a Dutch official at Amsterdam, and on another occasion communication was obtained with several German cities. These experiments are for the purpose of ascertaining how far the public telephone service between England and the Continent may bo extended through the medium of the now and improved Channel cable. At present the only service maintained is between England and France and Belgium, but Such good results have been obtained from test calls that a service to Holland and Switzerland will i nail probability soon be established. The most important matter remaining to be settled is one of rates with the countries concerned.