NEW CHARGES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 223, 20 September 1935, Page 12

NEW CHARGES.

P. AND T. DEPARTMENT. DETAILS OF CONCESSIONS. (By Telegraph.—Special to " Star.") WELLINGTON, Thursday. Further details of the postal, telephonic and telegraphic concessions announced in the Budget are given by the Director-General of the Post and Telegraph Department, Mr. G. McNamara. The new telegraph rate .of Id per work, with a minimum of Gd over all distances, operates from to-day, September 19. It is considered that the new rate will appreciably reduce the cost of telegraphing, particularly to the commercial community, who frequently use code addresses, and a code in their messages. The telephone toll concessions are twofold, as they involve not only reductions in the rates, but in the method of assessing the toll charge. Hitherto the charge was based upon the actual line distance, hut, in future, the shortest distance between the two points, either by road or telephone line,' will be adopted as the basis of the charge. The Department is aware that this will involve a substantial reduction in toll chargas in a large l.umber of cases, and two of the more striking examples of the operation of the new system can be quoted. From Napier to Taihape the actual telephone line distance, via Palmerston North, is 193 miles, hut the new toll charge will be based on the length of the direct road from Napier to Taihape, involving a reduction of nearly 100 miles. A South Island example is Xnvercargill to Cromwell, involving an actual line mileage of 235 miles. The new charge, however, will be assessed on the direct road route, via Lumsden, which will result in the InvercargillLumsden distance being reduced by over 100 miles.

' The reduction in the minimum toll charge is on the following basis:—Up to 7i miles (former rate 4d), now 2d; from 7i to 15 miles (former rate 4d), now 3d; from 15 to 20 miles (previously 10 to 20 miles), 4d.

The new telephone concessions operate from October 1. There is a very large distribution of New Zealand newspapers by post to country residents and, owing to the increasing size of our newspapers, many of them exceeded the weight of 3oz which was the maximum carried through the post for |d. The new rate extends the maximum weight carried for Ad to Soz. Last year 13,000.000 Now Zealand newspapers were delivered to addresses within the Dominion and the revenue derived was £42.000. but under the new conditions this will bo very substantially reduced. This important concession operated from 9 a.m. on Wednesday, September 18.