BAD TELEPHONE SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14854, 4 December 1911, Page 7

BAD TELEPHONE SERVICE.

By Telegraph.--Press; Association.—Copyright.

-. Melbourne, December 2. In view of the unfavourable reports,of the expert who tested, the. telephone .services,, the Federal Government is sending -three leading :, officials*io;' England and ' America to investigate up-to-date methods.

wheke FEDERAL GOVEBNMENT has ~ -'» • , failed.* ... -... : ° , More than passing interest "attaches' to the above cablegram, ; for -that; there is; vast room for improvement la notorious. ' The-inefficiency '• of-, the telephone service in Australia, ~at any-, rate in Sydney,: reaches: a degree* of, bad- - ness of which.the user of a Mew Zealand telephone can form no conception. * The report on independent tests J- conducted ;in Sydney by an expert (Mr. Bamsay; Sharp), was a, long indictment, both of material; and personnel. Successive;,;Postmasters-->'; General (of both political parties) have failed to grapple with the evils ;of the ser- ■ . vice, and 'have .had recourse' to ; feeble - denials that they existed. ;; These denials the : expert's tests have : now discredited; and, opportunely, Mr. Josiah Thomas has left the ~' Postmaster-Generalship : or: : . the Ministry of ' External r- Affairs \ (vacant '■/. through the death Mr. Batchelor), and Mr. ~b razer'..has taken over the Post Office. The hew Postmaster-General has the reputation of being one of the ablest, although one of the youngest, : of the Commonwealth Labour members, and may possibly succeed in really doing something'. Maladministration'byHhpfiederal authorities of the postal, telegraphic, and telephonic.services has done a great deal to shake t faith in the ef- -• fiency of the .\ centra! Government, ana :,, |:admittedlv lost the .Labour party a- large number o'f votes when it appealed to the Australian people last -April, for enlarged Federal. governing • powers. Iho rally ■ crv of thelState^mhts party against the , Referenda was; "if the Federal Govern. ment has mad, such a mess of the Pos t 0 - fice, how can you trust ■ it in other things''• And, except in West Australia, the people refused. by an overwhelming [majority, to trust it. .' '-~'!'