COLLECT TELEGRAM.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 291, 7 November 1929, Page 2

COLLECT TELEGRAM.

MR POLSON AND COUNCIL. Per Press Association. DANNEVIRKE, Nov. 6. The quest of Mr W. J. Poison, M.P.j Dominion president of the Farmers Union, for information has resulted in his falling foul of the Dannevirke County Council. Information which he requested was forwarded by collect wire. Mr Poison refused to accept it, and the County Council later decided to ask him to pay the amount, one and twopence. At to-day’s meeting, Mr Poison wrote explaining that in order to get information to enable him to see that a fair thing was done to his fellow-farmers he dispatched over 100 telegrams at his own expense asking for information, not by collect wire, but at tho earliest convenience. He has followed the general practice in refusing to receive the Dannevirke telegram and three others because he imagined that they had been sent collect by mistake. He asked if the council considered it reasonable to charge him for a collect wire under the circumstances. If so he would forwnrd the one and twopence by return mail. The council decided to inform Mr Poison that it considered the request a reasonable one and that it required pnyment. . In the same connection.a letter was received from the Dominion secretary of the Farmers’ Union stating that the chairman of a certain North Island County Council hnd called at his office and handed him one and twopence in stamps with which to pay the cost of the council’s telegram to Mr Poison, which stamps were enclosed in the letter The donor stated that he was so angry when he read the Press report concerning the discussion about the telegram that ho asked that the enclosed amount be forwarded. The council decided to write to the Dominion Farmers’ Union that the council resented the interference of the Farmers' Union in what was considered a business transaction and to refund the one and twopence to the Farmers’ Union.