TELEPHONE CHARGES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15923, 8 May 1912, Page 8

TELEPHONE CHARGES.

It is a little disappointing afler the bright prospect of cheaper telephone services which the Post maB ter-General held out to us the other dav to find the Telegraph Deparf ment deciding to increase ite charge f or long-distance telephones. This is at least curiouß way of preparing for a ' reduction, air

Ell encouraged dreams of a wire between Christchurch and Lyttelton costing no more than a city telephone and of communication over short distances being secured at a merely nominal rate. But the announcement that an extra charge of 20s will be made for every mile over three that the subscriber resides away from the exchange provides a rude awakening. Tho new regulation means that a subscriber living at Sumner, for instance, who now pays £23 a year for his telephone, will have to pay £2B a year, and of course it will be difficult to persuade him that he is getting a concession. Nor will the difficulty be lessened by the fact that tho additional charge is to be made retrospective. Subscribers paid their fees for the June quarter at the old rates a month ago, but now they are being asked to pay the difference between the old rates and the new from the beginning of April. Possibly tliore is some - good reason for the extra charge—though there can be no excuse for the manner in which it has been imposed—but we hope that when tho 'Minister is in Christchurch this week he will be able to assure the subscribers that it is not typical of the reforms he had in mind when he was. discussing the subject with one of our reporters during his last visit to the city.