PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Grey River Argus, 26 September 1911, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

THE MIDLAND MAILS

DAILY SERVICE REQUIRED

(Ouk Parliamentary 'Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Sep\ 23. The mecessity for daily mail services -between! Ghrisfchurch. and Greymquth -by way of' the! midland railway ;2irad rc^ads was urged -by Sir Arthur 'Guinness (Grey). When thlo- Postal, Estimates w>cire -before >th c House in Com-miitteo of Supply early on Saturday mioiiniing. Sir Arthur Guiawiess saiiid that the interval between : the two raiilway limes was mow so short that very little coaching was .required, and : thec;a should 'be little difficulty in providing the! facilities for which there was a ,grd\\ii'ng demand. The need for , 'improved mail services was greater in the summer months, and ho believed that provision of means for conveying tlid mai'lls would anduco a. Aargar tourist 'traffic. Sir Joseph Ward' replied tha-t the Giovernmeint was desirous of providing" a daily- coinnecti'cm' bet\vec>n Christchurch and Greymduth as soon as it couldl possibly do so. The posit-on was .tha.^ the Postal Department .could not ask th© Railway Department to rum trains fe 't\\i i^ortvieyamice of •mails until lihere was traffic to ; justify the iincnoase of the. ra.Hw.ay service, ibut as sorsn as a daily service : could possibly be provided the Government would comply wi'h the request.

(Our Parliamentary 'Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Sept. 24.

A general reduction in the charges for telephone fiacLlities, announced by Sir Joseph Ward. .

Shortly baforo the adjournmenib of (the House of Repragen-latiives -this morniimg,- in -closcrilbing the -concessions which will 'be allowed ; tnder the new regulations, Sir Joseph Ward 'said that ith(i object in view was to provide telephone exchange cormecticns or connections to Government offices at a cost as nearly ;a? possible of £2> per, inninum for each subscriber. The 'minimum rata for the exclusive use of a 'lima wiill 'be £5, as at present and two subscribers using one lima will pay £3 10s <oach .instead of £i. It is proposed that three, four, five, a:nd six subscribers should ijoin ;tog-otbifljr tr> ob^in connections cm one line. In this way five -subscribers on ia ili-ne two find a-half miles in length, or six sub?criitocirs on a l^e three miles in length, will pay th c unifaiim rate of The present charge Ibeyond three miles is plus 4= for the first- year. ' Now, five subscribers on ia ifive-mi'le line w'll be able to dbt'aiiinl loonnectio-n •at 8s per a;n.nvim each ; ?>nd fivo subscribers on a 7% miile line at £6 8s per annum each. If more ithan five subscribers iare -pilaced an a line- •tihe raterwill be correspondingly reduced. Subscribers to« th e exchanges in large towns will he allowed to join in party liaies in the ma.rwK.r describcid-, and a/- the samo rates, no doubt sa>id Sir Joseph W.a.rd the automatic exchange system will in course of time be utilised for all important' places. These changes will take tiiane, but I have said sufficient to show 'thaf-thei ten-bichi of the Government is to g-ive the masimum consideration id every settler im the country in respect to telopbcinie?, as I fully realise the great impoirtance telephonic communication is An remote country d-stricts. I shall always be ready to raceivc sugges■!;:ons from settlers. The large 'number of 3,367 subscribers' was added to : exchanges throughout the country last year ,'aaid from present appearadded Sir Joseph Ward, I' beHcvethat there will .be ;a -fairly large increase in the current year, when thie mew arrangements 'areiin 'full workimgi order. Telephone cx f 'CVnsion. should proceed at a rapid rate. ~ v '