TELEPHONES IN THE NORTH.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14918, 17 March 1914, Page 5

TELEPHONES IN THE NORTH.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE S PKBSS." Sir,—A "Wants of Kaikoura" deputation waited upon the Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes during his recent visit to Kaikoura. One of the speakers was Mr Norrie, who voiced the grievance of Mr Pow, of Ferniehunst. He sjtated that Mr Pow was more isolated than Messrs A. "W. Rutherford, senior and junior. This is so in the case of the latter, but not the former. Mr Pow's isolation came about in this way:— ln l&i)'<S the Department decided to shift the line inland from Waipara, taking it via Waiau, and the Whale's Hack. Recognising that I should be cut off for an indefinite time, nw nearest office being Cheviot, eighteen miles away, across the unbridged Waiau, I entered into negotiations with the Hon. "W. Pember Reeves, the outcome of which was that the poles and ono wire froni Cheviot to Hawkswood wore to remain upon payment by rae of a certain sum, and also nil connexions and instruments were to be paid for by those using them : and ihat any person might join by paying mc a/proportion of the cost of the old line, Parnassus, Jirookdale. and Hawkswood joined, but Mr Tinline, the then owner of Ferniehurst, declined on the ground that the cost to him was not worth it. I ]>aid in addition to the original cost, for a four miles connexion, and it would have cost Mr Tinline about the same amount. I may add that we were all bound to keep an office for The receipt »nd despatch of telegrams. I engineered this little line, which.cost the Government nothing except the stationery used in the correspondence. In recent years Mr Morrie and others have been provided, free of cost to themselves, with complete telephone communication. 1 havey always gone straight, both as a politician, and as a private member of the community, and lest Mr.Nome's statement creates an erroneous impression, I venture to ask you to find suace for this explanation of Mr Pow's isolation. —Yours, etc.. A. W. RUTHERFORD.