Produced by the Post Office Philatelic Bureau, Privati Bag, Wanganui.
CENTENARY OF TELEPHONE IN NZ MANY thousands of homes and businesses in New Zealand now rely on services which began with an ex· periment in the South Island town of Dunedin a hundred years ago. Impressed by reports of the achievements of Alexander Graham Bell, in Boston, Mr J. K. logan, the inspector of tel~raphs for the pro· vince of Otago, challenged two of his men to construct a working model of the telephone. Logan saw the new apparatus providing a facility to complement tne telegraph. In the British Empire's most fal flung colony the son of an exiled PoliSh prince and manager of the Dunedin telegraph office, Alois lubecki. and mechanician Charles Henry accepted logan's challenge. They studied reports of Belt's discovery in the 'SCientific Amer· ican' and working from an iIlustra· tion, begged, borrowed and acquired the materials to construct the instruments. While they wele slill working on their project a Dunedin commercial concern set up a type of telephone from their workshop to their sales department across the street. The system was based on the type of tin can and Siring arrange-
ment popular in children's games. But this string can apparatus, work· ing solely by vibration was not the elusive "talking telegraph". It had neither the range nor the reliability needed for commercial use. In different parts of New Zealand many people later claimed to have taken part in telephone calls before lubecki and Henry demonstrated their model. But no official records can be found to substantiate these claims. Tnw... rd< thl! eM of J"!1U!~y, 1878 logan, Lubecki and Henry were satisfied with their efforts. They set the date for a demonstration on February 2 and invited local dignitaries and newsmen along for the occasion. Those who gathered at the appointed time found the Post Office men had set up a telephone connec· tion over 36 miles between the settlement of Tokomairiro (now Milton) and Dunedin. The 'Otago Daily Times' corres· pondent reported that the conversa· tion came across the line with "extreme clarity". It took the New Zealand Post Office men a further four years be· fore they developed the telephone system to a stage where they could
• THE OUTLINE ot an old fa~hloned lell! phpne featu'el on a "limp commemorallng fhe T "I"ptu;me Cenlena", In New Zelllano 112cI Pl!I'qned ov f' t.._ tllllC~'1! ot HolM.onvIIII! Olh", 'lam", In lhe IUUI! comml'mo,ated lhl! cl!ntenil"e~ 01 Slfattord 110el. Alhbu,ton nOel and Bay ot IIIa'Wll County (2OcL Prontl!d by Harlllon and Sonl Lld .. 01 Engllnd. the ~18mp$ we'l! 'eleil>ed on Mil~h 8
open the first telephone exchange in Christchurch. Telephone poles, loaded with iron wire began marching across the country side. Some wit - possibly a lineman who had to climb themdubbed them "lemon trees" after the New Zealand Director of Telegrilphs, Or lemon. The men who worked on the development of New Zealand's tele· phone system in those early days laid traditions being followed by the Post Office today.