POLITICAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5668, 12 September 1896, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

FFrom Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, Sept. 11. THE MIDLAND RAILWAY. I am given to understand that the Midland Railway Company has, through the Agent-General, made further proposals to the Government for the settlement of its difficulties. These proposals are to be reported on by Mr Blow, Under-secretary for Public Works, and will be dealt with by the Public Accounts Committee, a meeting of which will be held next week. COPYRIGHT TELEGRAMS. The Copyright .Telegrams Committee was to-day granted fourteen days' extension of time within which t6 report. ' The Hon H. Feldwick, of the Southland Ncivs, and Mr J. H. Clayton, of the Egmont Settler, were examined- by the Committee to-day. A pressman, who is also a member of the Legislature; informed' me that he does.not think the Committee will in any way interfere with the business of ' the Association, and he considers that the present state of journalism in the colony is not sufficiently flourishing- to permit of the establishment of a competing press agency. His opinion is that the subscribers to the existing Press Association should, in proportion to the amount paid as entrance fees, have a voice in its management. This he considered would result in a more satisfactory state of things than exists at present. . USURY PREVENTION. A prominent ex-banker iii the House supports the Usury Prevention Bill on the ground that if it becomes law it will prevent the present practice by the banks of charging higher rates of interest to country customers than to town customers. He states that he knows cases where customers in the country were charged 9 per cent, while the bank was lending money at 6 per cent in cities. POST AND TELEGRAPH REPORT. The annual report of the Post and Telegraph Department states that there was a considerable expansion of business during the past year. The telegraph traffic was unusually heavy, a circumstance largely to be ascribed to the development of gold-, mining in the Auckland and-.Thames districts and to the large traffic in mining, scrip and shai-e transactions by telegraph. The balance of revenue over expenditure \ was «£3342, and it was satisfactory to note that compared with 1894- 96'th'ere was an increase of revenue under all heads, except postal miscellaneous receipts. . In ' this connection it should not be overlooked that the many reductions in postage and telegraph x % ates and charges and other concessions made to the public, while materially increasing the volume of business and adding to the expenditure, had not resulted in any appreciable increase. of revenue. During the year 26,968,955 letters were posted, an increase of 1,144,988. The number of forwarded telegrams of all codes was 2.124,211, an increase of 90, 411. The amount deposited in Post Office Savings Banks was £2,104,006, and the sum withdrawn .£2,369,333. On March 31 last there were 5143 telephone exchange connections, a net increase of 527. The subscriptions received amounted to <£25,933. The result of the change to sixpenny telegrams had exceeded anticipations. The traffic for June and July showed an increase in the number of paid messages of 28*97 per cent, and 21-13 per cent in value, as compared with the traffic for the corresponding months, of 1895. The increase in the number of urgent telegrams was 118'H per cent.