TELEPHONE ALTERATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19418, 28 August 1926, Page 12

TELEPHONE ALTERATIONS.

COST PLACED, ON SETTLERS. PROTEST TO AUTHORITIES. [bt telegraph.-—own correspondent.] ' . CAMBRIDGE. Friday Certain settlers of the Mauiigatautari district are much perturbed; at [the; action of the Post and Telegraph- Department in demanding that 'the settlers concerned should bear the costof. portions of their party telephone lines being placed underground, owing to the Public Works Department's main. transmission' lines from Horahora to Auckland crossing them.. Two party lines are concerned; - the settlers on one being asked to pay £6 10s each and the settlers on the other £5. l'ls 6d. The matter was' further ' Ventilated a t the meeting of the - Farmers' Union today, when correspondence .was received from the member 'for the district, Mr. 'D. Stewart Reid, who stated the Minister was sympathetic and in the meantime was preventing further l steps being taken. The Postmaster-General advised that his department was not responsible for the cost of making the alterations, as neither of the 'lines involved ■ was ovvned or maintained by it. •It was a matter for settlement between the telephone. owners arid the Public Works Department. From the safety viewpoint the Post-and Telegraph Department required that "the lines should be protected. A resolution was passed protesting against subscribers being called upon to personally .bear the cost. .' ? 't