PHONE CONNEXIONS NEARLY LOST

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 66, 10 December 1938, Page 12

PHONE CONNEXIONS NEARLY LOST

Men Lately Convicted Of

Bookmaking DECISION TO DEFER ACTION Dominion Special Service, PALMERSTON N„ December 9. Persons recently convicted of bookmaking in Palmerston North, were notified by the Chief Postmaster, Mr. A. N. Wallace, in a letter dated December 8, that their telephones, numbering nearly 30, would be disconnected as from -1 pan. today. Mr. Wallace was acting at the instruction of tlie Post-master-General, Mr. Jones. However, late this afternoon tlie persons concerned were notified that this action would not be taken in the meantime. It is understood that tlie telephone subscribers concerned pay about £2500 a year to the Dost and Telegraph Department. To outward appearances the department would have lost this amount every year, but in actual fact it was thought improbable that the action would have either curbed the activities of the bookmakers or resulted in any great reduction in tlie revenue of the post office because it appeared that there was nothing to prevent a bookmaker installing another telephone at the address of an agent. The first, intimation that the telephones were to be disconnected came in the following letter: — Post Office, Palmerston North, December S. Dear Sir, —In view of the recent court action against you the Post-master-General lias directed that the telephone connexion held by you be withdrawn. The service to telephone No. will be discontinued from 4 p.ni. on Friday the 9th instant. Yours faithfully, A. N. Wallace, Chief Postmaster,

When approached today tlie chief postmaster declined to make any comment beyond saying that he was acting under instructions.

A leading Palmerston North bookmaker said lie believed tlie . whole trouble dated back to the time when one of their number, who already had two telephones, demanded a third. Nearly till of them had two telephones and one even bad five. He estimated that 14 bookmakers in Palmerston North rented, among them, 27 telephones, and paid more than £3OO a year in rental and more than £2OOO a year for toll calls. 'The notice from tlie Post Office had come as a bombshell, lie said. Later, however, when considering the position before the “stay of proceedings” was granted, they were more amused than perturbed. They would Im slightly inconvenienced,/he said, but would' install, telephones at. their agents’ premises and carry on without any serious loss of business.