Messages to Perth

Press, 27 January 1987, Page 16

Messages to Perth

Sir,—While Mr Douglas daily intones “there are no free lunches,” Mr Moore discovers free' messages to Perth. How fortunate that, failing bread, we can ihave circuses, if only by proxy. Without wishing to interrupt the happy orgy of infantile jingoism and financial speculation, I should like to inquire of the Post Office whether this adhoc service conforms ,to its new role or to the old. In other words, is it !an example of political control or of a strictly commercial user-pays policy?—Yours, etc., ;

;S. O. MAHONY. January 17, 1987.

[The Postmaster-General, Mr Hunt, replies: “The arrangement was Entered into by the Post Office largely because it was seen as an exceptional opportunity to obtain nation-wide publicity for its services, particularly the rapidly growing and highly competitive facsimile service, at minimal cost. This was an opportunity which would normally be taken by any trading organisation and which had, of course, already been taken by numerous other organisations actively supporting the New Zealand challenge. The response to the offer was enthusiastic and overwhelming, and the promotion is regarded '■ as having been very successful.”]