1913: Post Office progress in radiotelegraphy

Poverty Bay Herald, 1 August 1913, p7

A BUSY DEPARTMENT.
POST AND TELEGRAPH PROGRESS

[From our Parliamentary Reporter.]
WELLINGTON, this day.

The excess of receipts over expenditure on the working of the Postal Department last year was £98,554. The annual report by the Postmaster-General shows that the outstanding feature of the year’s operations was the development of radio-telegraphy. Excellent results have been obtained from Auckland radio station, while the Wellington station has secured results exceeding expectations. The erection of the Chatham Islands wireless station of 2 1/2 kilowatts is proceeding, and communication will be established shortly. The high-power station at Awanui, of 30 kilowatts, has been completed. It will be capable of communicating with Sydney at any hour. A similar station at Awarua, near Bluff, is also completed. These stations are undergoing departmental tests in international regulations, which operate from the present month. The general trend is in the direction of limiting long-distance working from one ship to another, and between a ship and a coast station, in order to circumscribe the area of disturbance. Ships are to be graded in three classes, and to observe prescribed hours of attendance, principally to ensure distress signals being observed. The amended regulations come into force in July, 1913.* Sixteen ship stations are registered in New Zealand. The Telefunken system is used at all New Zealand shore stations by the radiotelegraphic service of the Department. Weather reports from and to vessels are, on request, transmitted free of charge…

* The reference to regulations that would come into force in July is confusing, as this report was published in August of the same year.