Jan 17, In this matter of telephone service, the question which has to be decided is not whether or not the present Telephone Company has done well, should be wound up or what price it should aceept—for an answer to any of these questions might leave the real question unanswered. The real questions are what physical work should now be undertaken and how would that work best be accomplished. Elsewhere today we publish an article on the importance of the place held by the telephone in modern life. It will be accepted generally that telephony is a highly specialized engineering service, needing a long experience and careful study of many facts before one could say what is wrong or what ought to be done. Therefore, as with the supply of electricity, water, gas, trams, railways or other, services of this nature, there must be competent expert advice to guide those responsible for the decisions, and no sensible non-technical person would think of taking decision in such a case without the guidance: of qualified engineering. opinion.
What advice is available? In 1925 the Telephone Company (then operating 16,600 lines) investigated the whole matter of automatic switchboards and, guided by their engineers, they came to a conclusion that would be wise to install automa-8 and also decided on the type of automatic equipment they would employ in the system; they then gave an order for a first instalment of 5,000 lines. Later, in 1927, they gave an order for another 5,000 lines, and in 1929 they gave further orders for 5,000 and for 4,000 lines. Of this total of 19,000 lines 10,000 are installed and working and the manufacture of the remain" ing 9,000 is in hand, It is stated by Mr. B. 0. Anson in his report (Section 4) that before the first instalment was ordered, the International Coun-ined "direct informa-to the suitability of the type of automatic apparatus to be employed. The Company and its engineers, prior to the fundamental decision, were advised by the well-known Westminster consulting engineers, Messre, Preece, Cardew & Rider, and the decisions then made were taken on the advice of all the experts. Later on in 1929, the Council wished for an independent engineering opinion on a number'of Questions in regard to the telephone service, and on the request of the Council, Sir Thomas Purves, Engineer-in-Chief of the Post Office, selected Mr. B. 0, Anson, an expert in automatics, to advise the Council.
Included in Mr. Anson's port are three questions which he answers as follows Question, Is the Rotary automatic system ({e. the type select ed and partly installed at Shang-ai) a good one?
Answer. Yes, it is giving satisfaction wherever it is om-jon. Is it desirable that the rotary system be abandoned and replaced by the ~woll-knowe systems or should be mixed? yr. He does not find any grounds for its supersession and he shows why, in his opinion, any other plan except that of continu ing to install the same kind of automatic equipment as already exists, would involve "a loss of at Toast three years in the restoration of good service" and he also states that a mixed system would be very expensive, Question. What remedial steps, be made effective Answer. The final remedy must tw conversion to automatic working, and that, with determination, this could be carried 4 period of two years.
Putting all this together, Mr. Anson's advice in clear and' unmistakable terms is that the Company should proceed with the work which they have started and complete it as quickly as possible, and Mr. Anson's te-port was adopted by the Council and accepted by the Telephone Company.
The above items of independent opinion, all available for use, constitute a mass of engineering advice, all directed to the specific problem of Shanghai, which cannot lightly be set aside. What independent engineering opinion is there in favour of some other course such as replacing switchboards by, those of some other kind and or of having-a mixed system? So far we know, there is none whatev Without taking up any argu ments in favour of any system of automatics, it is evident that there is a considerable mass of competent, independent enginering opinion available to guide those who have to muke the decision. That opinion is clear, unanimous and cannot be dis-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.