ENG-1953 — Page 196

COMMUNICATIONS:

During 1953, new equipment was provided for the Com- pany's main wireless Receiving Station at Mount Butler and transmitting station at Cape D'Aguilar. At both stations the new equipment was used to establish additional overseas telecommunication services and to expand existing services. The aeradio services were further increased by the addition of new equipment at the Peak and Waglan Island stations, includ- ing automatic direction finding and distance measuring equipment.

The despatch and reception of telegrams is the Company's main business, and the average number of telegrams handled daily is approximately 8,500. This figure varies directly with the Colony's trade, and would increase by several thousand telegrams daily if trading conditions were restored to former levels.

The telegraphic communications of the Colony are well served by several deep sea cables linked to the Company's world-wide system, in addition to a network of 14 wireless circuits working with other centres in the Far Eastern area and beyond.

The overseas radiotelephone services, worked in collabora- tion with the Hong Kong Telephone Company, continue to expand, and during 1953, new services were opened to Djakarta, Bangkok and Bombay. Up to ten radiotelephone services can be handled simultaneously to bring twenty people, separated by thousands of miles, into direct conversation. On occasions, over 1,700 paid minutes of overseas telephone traffic are handled in a single day. The short-range ship/shore radio- telephone service, through which ships at sea can be connected to subscribers on the Hong Kong Telephone Exchange, is slowly growing in popularity as more ships are fitted with suitable equipment. Excellent results have been obtained up to 500 miles from Hong Kong.

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