THE PELORUS GUARDIAN and Miners’ Advocate. TUESDAY 11th MARCH, 1913. CURRENT TOPICS.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 24, Issue 19, 11 March 1913, Page 4

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN and Miners’ Advocate. TUESDAY 11th MARCH, 1913. CURRENT TOPICS.

In these time-saving days it has been a wonder to ns that there has never been an agitation for the delivery of telegrams by telephone. It has been left for the British Post-master-General to draw attention to the facilities for securing by the use of the addressee’s telephone address the expeditious delivery by telephone of telegrams to telephone subscribers. This address consists of the subscriber’s name, the name of his exchange, the number of his line, and the name of the town in which the exchange is situated. When the name of the exchange is also the name of the town, of a telegraph office, or well-known locality which is a sufficient address for ordinary telegraphic delivery, the name of the town may be omitted. The name of the town is not required when a telegram is addressed to an exchange number in the same town. Thus “Jones North 154” would be a sufficient address for a telegram originating in London. The cost of telegrams, the Postmaster-General points out, will as a rule be reduced by the use of telephonic addresses, which are generally shorter than ordinary addresses. Time will also be saved in delivery in most cases, and especially where the addressee lives at a considerable distance from a telegraphic office. Porterage charges may also be saved, and delivery secured during hours when local telegraph offices are closed. Subscribers are recommended to print their telephone addresses on their notepaper as their addresses for telegrams. Confirmatory copies of telegrams delivered by telephone will be sent by post without charge to the address in the telephone directory in daily batches, and, if the attention of subscribers cannot be obtained by telephone, telegrams will be delivered in the ordinary way by messenger.

Telegrams by Telephone

Interesting remarks on the sub- ' ject of public works Public generally were made to Works a “ Post ” reporter by the Minister of Public Works last week. Mr Fraser had just returned from an extended visit to Otago and Southland. At many of the places visited requests were made for loans to local bodies tp enable those bodies to provide their share of £ for £ grants. The Minister had to explain to them the reason why it was impossible to give effect to their requests, and on the Whole found that the applicants preferred to be told the actual truth instead of having vague promises made, which there was very little possibility of fulfilling in the near future. In many places visited, where there was doubt as to what particular route the line of railway should take, he found settlers not so particular as to the line and route provided they got the railway. He also laid it down very clearly that in deciding the route the interests of the settlers on the land would be consulted, and not the interests of rival townships, and that policy was generally approved. The construction of Public Works was, the Minister added, proceeding very satisfactorily, and it would be found that as much would be spent this year as there was last year. It was also very satisfactory to know that the three million loan had been under-written, and so eagerly sought after by the public. There would be no increased activity in consequence, except that they could go on with confidence, as they knew they had money which Parliament had authorised to be expended. Previously, it was not safe to authorise the expenditure of loan money which constituted about one-half of the total amount voted by Parliament. The chief difficulty was the inability of the Government to supply cheap money to local bodies to enable them to pay their share of the cost of the construction of roads especially, thus rendering it impossible for them to take advantage of the Government grant. Now that the difficulty had for the past, at any rate, been removed again, the Estimates for 1911-12 contained sums amounting to nearly double what was spent during the year say; there was £500,000 for roads and bridges. Only half of that was spent by March 31st, leaving a quarter of a million of “ old ” money as liability, which had to be expended before they could go on with expenditure on new votes, except in urgent cases, until they knew that the loan money was available.