Suva Overcomes Its

Dial-Phone Nerves

PROBABLY the people to suffer most during the introduction of automatic telephones to Suva, were members of the local Fire Brigade. An unfortunate mis-print in the new telephone book gave a private resident the Fire Brigade’s number, with the result that every time anyone rang this family, the gong sounded in the Fire Station.

However, the chief engineer of the telephone department reports that the bugs attendant on the change-over to the new system have been ironed out quicker than be lieved and the margin of errors of telephone users has been less than anticipated.

There had been some speculation as to how Suva’s mixed population, many of whom cannot read English, would react to the new medium.

Seme elderly Indians and elderly Chinese knew enough English to ask the exchange for a number but scarcely enough to read the tele phone dial. But even these are learning.

The emergency number, 999, took a beating—some calls on this num ber were believed to be maliciously made by persons with a misplaced sense of humour. One person con tinued to dial this number so per sistently from a public phone box

that the police had time to get there and catch him still at it. He was let off with a caution. t Advice has been received that during the month of May, 1956, approximately 129 ounces of gold were recovered from approximately 8,500 cubic yards of material treated by Sandy Creek Gold Sluicing Ltd.