MAILS AND TELEPHONES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 3 August 1925, Page 5

MAILS AND TELEPHONES.

N.Z. RURAL SERVICE. “BEST IN THE, WORLD.” The privileges which rural dwellers in inew Zealand enjoy' m comparison with diner countries were out.med Dy Air A. T. Markman, Secretary ot the Post Office, at tne annual conference of it he Farmers’ Union in \> elington on Friday (reports tne Dominion). A numoer ox remits, asking for reductions in teiepnone charges to country subscribers and the remission of tne charge made for rural mail deliveiy, were submitted. . Mr Markman said lie did not know that any assurance was given.that tele, pnone charges would be revised when the rates were raised. The ; balancesheet had just been laid on the table ol the House, and it showed that the Department had £IB,OOO to distribute amongst 100,000 subscribers. This would allow about 3s per subscriber. The Department was also faced with an expenditure of £BO,OOO for a cable across Cook Strait to give communication to isolated centres, and in addition had to provide more trunk lines. In the face of this, he did not see that there was any prospect of a reduction in charges. New Zea and had “cribbed” the Canadian system of rural delivery, and had improved it to such an extent that Canada was envious of the New Zealand system. He thought the people in the country' districts of the Dominion were better served than any people in the world. What' with telepnones and postal deliveries, each farmer now had almost a post office at his front door.

Mr 0. C. Wilkinson (Nelson) asked when the Department was going to discontinue the present wasteful and extravagant method of erecting telephone lines. Mr Markman said the Department had taken this matter into consideration, and had come to the conclusion that it was better for them to erect their own lines than to have the work done by contract. It was not a question of simply putting in the poles. The erection of stable lines was the work of engineering experts. The Department had to -observe Arbitration Court awards as had private employers, but he contended that the work was being done as expeditiously and economically as possible. The Department had to face labour troubles as well as other people, but he considered they could trust the engineer, who was one of the most competent men in the world.