GRADUATED TELEGRAPH CHARGES

Evening Star, Issue 21720, 15 May 1934, Page 17

GRADUATED TELEGRAPH CHARGES

RETAILERS’ PROTEST At the animal meeting of the Otago Drapers’. Clothiers’, and Boot Retailers’ Association, the president, Mr N. Wood, stated that the Government had 110 cause for complaint regarding the lovalty shown by the members of the association through their response to the extra burdens of taxation imposed upon them during the past year or two. Ihe revision of telegraph rates, however, had met with a very hostile reception, not only from this association, hut from sister organisations. It was acknowlodged that messages to near areas were on a lower scale, but where mails could he used, that was of little advantage, except in cases of extreme urgency, lor communications by telegram to Wellington and Auckland, the advance m cost was 25 per c*ent. and 40 per cent, respectively. That clearly showed a lack of business acumen, and he felt that with the raising of exchange, and the unfair incidence of the sales tax, the medium through 'which the latter was collected being the retailers, it was time to protest against this latest imposition. After a discussion on the question it was agreed that the following resolution be conveyed to the Post-master-General (Mr Hamilton) : “ That this annual meeting of the Otago Drapers’, Clothiers’, and Boot Retailers’ Association protests most strongly against the new telegraph charges which have been recently imposed as being an unjustifiable additional burden upon the business community. The, principle of graduated charges for telegrams is not known to he in operation in any other part of the world, and its introduction in New Zealand is tho cause of annoyance and inconvenience to the business community without being the apparent means of making any appreciable addition to the revenue of tho department.”

REVIEW AFTER SIX MONTHS [Per United Press Association - .] CHRISTCHURCH, May 15 The Postmaster-General (Mr Hamilton). interviewed here, stated that the new telegraphic charges would be reviewed at the end of six months’ trial. We would see then how the system was working, he said, and he hoped it would be shown that the new charges were justified. At present it was too early to draw a comparison with conditions under the old charges.