F.—1

37

MISCELLANEOUS IMPROVEMENTS. Other improvements to the telephone-exchange equipment during the year included the following : — The installation of new secondary batteries at the Remuera and Ponson'by Automatic Exchanges. The installation of main distributing-frame equipment at Ohaupo, Te Kauwhata, and Piopio. The replacement in the Auckland and Gisborne Districts of a large number of privatelyowned earth-working lines by departmentally-owned metallic circuits. The installation of additional trunking equipment at the Napier Ajitomatic Exchange. A thorough overhaul of the switching equipment at Feilding, and the provision of additional facilities for the handling of toll traffic. The installation of answering-jacks on the New Plymouth branching multiple switchboard for the purpose of facilitating the work of the operators. The replacement of the switching equipment at Patea by switchboards of a more modern type. The installation of a pole-changer at Greytown Exchange for the purpose of improving the ringing facilities at that place. The installation at Lower Hutt of a 900-line branching multiple switchboard as a temporary measure pending the conversion of that exchange to automatic operation. The installation at Wellington Central Exchange of special final-switch equipment to provide for direct incalling to some of the larger private automatic exchanges ; also the installation of additional equipment for relieving congestion on the regular privatebranch section of the exchange switching equipment. The overhaul of the switching equipment at the Blenheim Automatic Exchange, the rearrangement of the jack and lamp field, and the installation of a third toll position. The installation of a frequency-converter ringing-set at Blenheim, and a motor-driven ringing-set at Picton. The installation at Timaru and Waimate of new distributing-frames. The extension of the main distributing-frames at Greymouth and Temuka. The installation at the Dunedin Central Automatic Exchange of an automatically operated crude-oil burner for heating purposes in connection with the air-conditioning plant. EXTENSION STATIONS PER 100 MAIN STATIONS. Appended hereunder are two interesting tables showing the number of extension telephones per 100 main stations (business and residential respectively) at some of the principal exchanges, as well as the average figures at all exchanges, on the 30th September, 1928. Extension-telephone service in business premises is most highly developed at Wellington, Christchurch, and Napier, the smallest development being at Whangarei, Masterton, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Nelson, New Plymouth, Timaru, and Hastings, at all of which places the figures are below the average for the Dominion. Extension-telephone development in residential premises is comparatively low generally, the average figures for the Dominion being only three extensions per 100 main stations, the highest development being at Hastings, Christchurch, Masterton, Timaru, Auckland, Gisborne, Napier, and Wellington. The fact that only one out of every thirty-three residential subscribers has an extension telephone seems to indicate that subscribers generally, and more particularly those who occupy twostoried houses or houses with a comparatively large number of rooms, do not appreciate the fact that an additional telephone can be obtained for £1 10s. per annum.

Tables showing the Number of Extension Telephones per 100 Business and Residential Stations respectively.

Number of Extension Telephones per 100 Number of Extension Telephones per 100 (Main) Business Stations. (Main) Residential Stations. Exchange. Number of Number of Exchange. | Number of j Number of Extension Extension Number of Extension L Business Telephones in Telephones per Residential Telephones in i noilPRi Stations. Business ' 100 Business Stations. | I\ evidential | Premises. Stations. j Premises, j stations Wellington .. 4,953 4,685 94 Hastings .. 1,592 117 7 Christchurch .. 3,215 2,628 82 Christchurch .. 5,234 311 6 Napier .. .. 736 601 82 Masterton .. 1,227 77 6 Dunedin .. 2,172 1,597 74 Timaru .. .. 1,010 61 6 Auckland . . 5,955 I 4,026 68 Auckland . . 7,731 381 5 Invercargill .. 835 | 569 68 Gisborne .. 1,626 80 5 Hamilton .. 731 394 54 Napier .. .. 1,239 56 5 Wanganui .. 1,000 542 54 Wellington .. 7,885 359 5 Hastings .. 546 260 48 Dunedin .. 3,963 170 4 Timaru.. .. 636 301 47 Palmerston North 1,569 56 4 New Plymouth .. 573 260 45 Wanganui .. 2,050 78 4 Nelson .. .. 438 190 43 Hamilton .. 1,644 43 3 Palmerston North 951 406 43 ' Invercargill .. 1,211 39 3 Gisborne .. 668 273 41 Nelson .. .. 877 26 j 3 Masterton .. 445 179 40 New Plymouth .. 1,043 16 2 Whangarei .. 368 127 35 Whangarei . . 847 5 1 Other exchanges .. 13,440 2,884 21 Other exchanges .. 40,296 424 1 Dominion figures .. 37,662 19,872 53 Dominion figures.. 81,044 2,299 3