TOLL CALLS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19783, 26 April 1934, Page 12

TOLL CALLS

PROFITEERING ALLEGED The allegation that the Post Office was guilty of profiteering during the period following the earthquake was made at a meeting of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce, members stating that the Department had refused to accept any but urgent toll calls. In bringing the matter up, Mr T. Corson stated that after the recent earthquake subscribers were unable to secure connection with Hawke’s Bay unless they were prepared to pay urgent rates. The Government, he added, was hard on business men, who it thought were attempting to profiteer, yet here was a case where the Government itself took advantage of the emergency to benefit itself at the expense of subscribers. When it was suggested that there were so many calls that subscribers might have been advised that ordinary calls would be subjected to delay. Mr L. Miles stated that the Post Office had refused to accept any but urgent calls, and subscribers were told that attention. ordinary calls would not receive Another member stated that a similar condition applied to telegrams. He knew of reply-paid telegrams handed in at Auckland that were never delivered. The matter was allowed to drop.