NORTH SHORE TELEPHONES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14688, 24 May 1911, Page 8

NORTH SHORE TELEPHONES.

REQUEST FOR A CABLE.

The telephone service to" Northcote and Birkenhead has been much less a convenience to the residents. of those localities than it should be, and yesterday a deputation of members of the Waiteniata Chamber of Commerce waited upon the Hon. T. Mackenzie, in his capacity as Acting-Postmaster-General, to ask for an improvement. It was explained to him by Mr. Henderson, vice-president of the Chamber, and by Mr. Duder, that the line at present in use is 11 miles in length, thus entailing more expense than was necessary, whereas a cable could be laid across the harbour over a distance of one nautical mile. The subscribers at Northcote had to pay about £5 a year for their services, and in addition an impost of one penny per minute, with the usual minimim of threepence. The expense was so great that often they came to Auckland to transact business that could be quite well done by telephone. Hitherto, the Minister for Marine had been opposed to the laying of a cable, because it would have to cross the " powder grounds." The Harbour Board had now decided to establish a- fresh explosives anchorage, so that difficulty was overcome. The deputation also mentioned that a private telephone cable laid by the Devonport Ferry Company had not,"only been a great convenience but had given scarcely any trouble.

Mr. Mackenzie stated that he knew of the difficulty that had hitherto existed with regard to the powder anchorage, but the Board's decision to remove it elsewhere had altered the position, and he would put the matter before the officers of the. Department.