POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 194, 14 August 1920, Page 13

POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS.

REASONS FOR INCREASED RATES.

pavim; Tin-: hh.mieii salaries. (By Telegraph.- .Press Association.) \VJbXLdTXC POX, Friday. The .House oi Representatives* went into Committee of Supply to consider the Estimates this afternoon. The first, vote taken win Post and Telegraph*. X'2.41U.7:)7. Mr. 11. K. Holland l-PuKer) made a protest, against) The iiareivse.s in the p.'-tai talcs withont the consent, of Pa*, liaincnl. !n order to get the opinion of tiic Hoii-e on the Miojrct, ;;e moved to reduce the vote by .CI. 'l:;o Prime MinVtcr sai-1 everyone knew tliat the Government had recently ■to make increaM's ;-i salaries, etc., to poutal and telegraph employees, amounting to nliout. JJl.7oo.oim. That jiioni-v had to i.e. inaJu vii. «Tho question was w,miner :t was ;.. .„. made up throng;. ex Ira taxation or front the. Oonsolidittetl Fund. It wus not in tie Consolidated Fund to g-ct, -d taxation 'oceanic necessary a nil ti: its was a course which every se'tion of the community approved. Mr. Iloland t-n.,1 his amendment "was no! an attack on the increases to IDepartmeutal salaries, but on tile G-overtl-ment'ti method of imp,.slug taxation. Mr. C. E. Statl.ani (Dune-din Central) asked whether the extra postage rates were intended merely to meet the cost of the increases in salaries, or tp provide additional revenue for the Consolidated. Fund. Mr. Massey paid they would raise, by the new postal rates "j; 40.000 .hurt -of what they would require to meet the increased salaries. Mr. Statham said that was a complete answer to the amendment which war, rejected by 54 votes to 0. Mr. Mitchell moved a reduction of A"l in the -vote of £192,000 for the luaintcnance of .telegraph and telephone lines, as a protest against the proposed increase of 8/ per quarter mile in the charge for telephones iv the new scnle. After a long discussion, Mr. Mitchell indicated that he wished to withdraw his niiiendniciit, but the Labour party would riot consent, and called for a division, which resulted in the amendment being rejected by ,'l9 votes to 18. T\w total Tost and Telegraph vote was passed at 11.25 p.m. Public buildings, etc.. £0533, was the next vote taken, and was carried utter a brief discussion. The Native Department, £20,474, was passed without discussion.

The House rose at 11.30 p.m,