TELEPHONED TELEGRAMS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 102, 15 April 1912, Page 4

TELEPHONED TELEGRAMS

POSITION INCORRECTLY STATED. NO COMPULSORY DEPOSIT: With regard to the telephoning of telegrams to telegraph offices, and the regulations governing same, which were the subject of a discussion between the' .Hon. H. G. EH, Postmaster-General, and a deputation which waited on him at Hastings on Saturday last, we have since gathered that the position is not as it was placed before the Minister. In the course of an interview with the Hastings Postmaster (Mr. S. F. Haszard), a representative of this journal learni that the concession asked fcr, namely, that it should not be necessary to- leave a deposit at the telegraph office to cover the cost of transmitting telegrams received over the telephone', already exists, and furthermore, that no fee whatever is charged for the privilege. The only conditions are (1) that the name of the person who forwards the telegram must official list of subscribers to the telephone exchange, (2) that the subscriber has signed the form under which he agrees to indemnify the department for the cost of Sending the telegram and any risk of impersonation dr improper use that may be made of his telephone, and (3) that the original copy of the message, bearing stamps of the value equal to the cost of transmitting the wire, is forwarded to the telegraph office on the day following that on which the message has been telephoned. No deposit is necessary, but in the case of subscribers living at out of the way places like Waimwrama, Mangakuri, Te ‘Apiti, or from where there are only bi-weekly or tri-weekly mail services, and it would be impossible for the original copy of the telegram to reach the telegraph office on the following day, a deposit is accepted at the office, but only to suit the convenience of the subscriber, and in the event of their being no deposit or of it-having been exhausted, the officials have no power to refuse further wires over the telephone. Subscribers to an exchange where there is a chief post office, such as Napier, have, to pay an annual fee of £l, which gives them the right to baie their telegrams taken over the telephone, but where there are sub T offices there is no extra charge, and Hastings being a sub-office, any sub- ' scriber to the Hastings exchange who desires to send telegrams over the telephone may do so without extra cost, providing they have complied with the three conditions mentioned above. In the case of subscribers living at long distances from the exchange and who have lodged a deposit at the office, a statement is rendered them monthly showing what amount has been absorbed and the items for same.