THE TELEPHONE BOON.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 201, 19 May 1908, Page 3

THE TELEPHONE BOON.

WHAT IT HAS DONE FOE THE ' :• FARMERS. What a wonderful thing the telephone is (writes our travelling correspondent), and how general it hag now become in every fanning district. Go where one may nowadays, one sees the wires linking up farm to farm and connecting with a centre from which other wires 1 radiate in every direction., Fanners frequently say they really wonder, now,that they are connected, how they managed previously to carry on their business. Iwas at a station twenty miles from Masterton a few day 3 ago, when a matter cropped up which required immediate attention. Before the wire'was laid on, a man would have had to be sent in, which would have meant waiting all day before he got back with tho important information which was required. And:now, —"Pirrl Are you.there? Number 0066,' please." , "Pirr. That you, Smith ?" "Yes." '"Oh! What about that spring on the oil engine? We. can't' start till we know about it." Then in less than three minutes.the needed information is'gained, and there is no stoppage of .a' shed with twelve men on the hoard.

At another station last week,, the farmer had recently got' the telephone laid on to his place. '" He, was highly pleased with the saving of time and money wnich hc< how experienced. "Why", said, he, "if I : want to speak to.anybody in Masterton, I can do it as easily as lam talking to you.. If I want to/speak to, any of my friends in practically any,, part of the Wairarapa I can do it merely by turning a handle. Yes,' there's no doubt about it, the telephone is an immense boon to thoso residing in the country. Though many miles apart, they.'are able to chat with one another, and, in fact, visit, by telephone/' . ' '.< Another' striking instance came notice one day: A farmer had, recently been Qqniiectqd and, ; was 'loud''in 3 "'i>raJs& of' the!.'great, saver, -of [time and trouble' the telephone ;had already proved;'' ! But 'he was' the more iinprossed' by. the' fact " that he'-' had recently received a : cablegram. from. : . Home direct into ■ his, own house; "The[ tiine occupied''•.in,, leaving. London and being received was six hours, ■allowing' for difference ,in time. 1 "Why,, said he,'."when I first took. up this land it used' to tal?e us the same time to go into Masterton. by bullock dray." . This man has beeh.bne'of the pioneers. He took up his laud [thirty years ago, with no road to his section, and, it, was not till ten years afterwards that a . road was opened up, and thon a very .bad one, being . through -'a- wet valley. ' Everything had to bo taken over rough high.hills,'the last spur down to the homestead being of. a particularly steep nature. It cost ten pounds per ton freight on goods from Wellington to the farm, and all, had to be got in before' the autumn rains set in, as it would have been practically impossible to use the bullock team in winter.