COUNTRY TELEPHONES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18353, 10 March 1920, Page 7

COUNTRY TELEPHONES.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE POSTM ASTER-GENERAL. [Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, March 9. The Postmaster-General (the Hon J. G. Coates) announced to-day:—“ln order to make it easy for any settler to connect his House or homestead by private wire with the nearest telephone office, the Department will undertake to sell to settlers at the actual cost the material for telephone construction, on the deferred payment system; interest to bo charged on the unpaid money at the rate ol o per cent per annum; instalments to bc> payable haJjf-yearlv, and suoh instalments to be of such an amount as will pay off both principal and interest in a period of ten years. Until the whole of tho principal is repaid the materials will remain the property of the Post and Telegraph. Department. The scheme, of course, refers only to private lines intended to connect with the Department’s system, and not to private lines intended for private intercommunication apart from tlie Department’s system. ’■ Summed up, the position will he that settlers desiring to erect a private wire will be able to obtain material from tho -Department at the lowest price and on the easiest possible terms, and will also, through a private line license, obtain tho assistance and advice of the Department’s engineers in the erection of tho line. An additional part of the scheme is that if the setters themselves can supply the poles, and possibly the wire and insulators and’ the labour for the erection of ni line, the work of construction will cost them nothing, as tho Department will provide for supervision of the work by an engineer. “ The greatest difficulty lias been experienced by the Department in getting materials. I am glad to say that at present the Department lias fair supplies of telephones and insulators, and further supplies aro on order. Wire Suitable for country lines is available in fair quantities, but just now' the greatest difficulty confronting the Department is the supply of poles of suitable hardwood. Between 20,000 and 30,000 poles are awaiting shipment in Australia. As soon as these poles arrive it will bo possible to makon, start, with several works already authorised t-o connect up many backbloeks districts. The Department will then be ablo to go on with some of the many party line connections with telephone exchanges which have been held up for so long for want of poles.”