POST AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1930, Page 8

POST AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES

The annual report of the PostmasterGeneral, the Hon. J. B. Donald, is about the most cheering of the departmentaj records for the past financial year. The statistics it contains denote' steady progress in almost all branches of the department. The revenue collected showed an increase of £190,075 over that for the previous year, while working expenses, in which was included interest on capital liability, showed an increase of £53,000 only. In these days of diminishing revenue in most directions the Post Office’s earnings must be considered very satisfactory, and the fact that working expenses have not greatly increased indicates prudent management by the executive officials. It is possible to argue that it is not the function of the post and telegraph services to earn large surpluses and that if such are possible the cost of the services to the public should be cheapened. Within reason there is much to defend this attitude, but until the economic position improves there is not much likelihood of a harassed Minister of Finance foregoing any source of revenue. It is Extremely gratifying to note that the return to penny postage has been justified by revenue results and that the trunk line telephone facilities are attracting increased traffic. A considerable amount of money has been spent in bringing up to date the telephone system. Though much still remains to be done, the department may be congratulated on having made very considerable progress in modernising its telephone equipment. Extension of the services by radio to Australia is promised in the near future, and it will be interesting to see what use the commercial community will make of the new facilities. The establishment of a commercial branch of the department “to foster and extend cordial relations between the department and the public” is noted in the report. There is certainly scope for such a branch, for there are still many departmental regulations which are somewhat difficult to understand. Why is it, for instance, that in the telephone service the. larger the number of subscribers the larger the rental charged? In most businesses the opposite applies, and as the Post Office prides itself upon being run with business methods it would be instructive to know the reason for this apparent anomaly. The Savings Bank figures are not altogether reassuring. Withdrawals exceeded deposits by over a million pounds, but at the same time the total sum at credit of depositors increased by £750,000. This seems to indicate a desire on the part of investors to increase their deposits in a safe security, where the funds are also liquid should occasion require. The fact that there is the sum of nearly 50 millions at credit of depositors is an indication, after all, that the financial condition of the Dominion is not so parlous as some people have feared. Though there is much room for its ' development, the practice of thrift is by no means rare, as the Savings Bank figures amply demonstrate,

THE PIG RAISING INDUSTRY. Once more'an appeal is being made to the dairy farmers of Taranaki to develop pig raising as a valuable adjunct to the export of butter and cheese. With every indication that prices- for those commodities will remain at a low level, with the assurance also that taxation and other production costs are likely to increase rather than diminish, there is every inducement for farmers to explore any avenue that is likely to increase returns from their holdings without unduly increasing expense. The expert of the Department of Agriculture, Mr. K. W. Gorringe, has been explaining to farmers that a market in Great Britain for suitable carcases of pork is available at prices which will give a good return. He Jias also shown that with a reasonable expenditure upon equipment and a small outlay upon concentrated foods the problem of wintering pigs can be overcome and fluctuations of price at the end of the dairy season, to the detriment of the farmer, be avoided. Mr. Gorringe made it quite clear that to regard the pig as a mere scavenger was no way to build up the industry. Like (.he fat lamb trade, export of frozen pork, if it is to be successful, will demand judgment, care in the selection of breeding stock, proper shelter and feeding, and as much care and attention as is required by other classes of live stock. He was able to show as the result of practical tests on farms in different localities that given those conditions pig raising is quite profitable, but like any other profitable undertaking, it will not develop itself. Careful research has begun in regard to the best methods of feeding, and sufficient data is now available to show that the industry can be made profitable,- always providing the right type of animal is bred. New Zealand’s greatest rival in dairy exports has a pork export turnover of £22,000,000 a year, and conditions in Denmark for swine husbandry are not nearly so favourable as they are in this country, though, of course, the Dominion product must bear costs of freezing and transport that its European competitor is spared. Education and enthusiasm are the essentials to success, according to Mr. Gorringe, and if profitable returns can be secured both these qualifications are worth the farmers’ while to develop.