TELEPHONE CHARGES

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 5971, 21 August 1912, Page 3

TELEPHONE CHARGES

COUNTRY DISTRICTS' REPRESENTATIONS.

WELLINGTON, August 16. Members oi Parliament representing country districts waited on the Post-master-General to-day. Members asked that the charge of Od for ell ,eh communication within the 25-mile radius on private lines be reduced to 3d, as on ordinary lines. They also urgeu that the maintenance chargr oi ,C2 per mile lor private lines is excessive. Several speakers urged that the cheapening of the telc|'iui: : system would do a great deal to induce settlement in the country districts. The Minister said he was nnxious to extend telephone facilities to lh>> l - blocks, but he could not say al present how far he would be able to go in that direction. lie did not think the proposed reduction of mileage charges from 6d to 3d would pay the department. The whole basis of extending the radius rested on the automatic system, but he could not hold out any hope at present that he would be able to extend it to the backblocks. He 'hoped to be able to o.vtend it to the suburbs, but 'he would go fully into the c|UrsUon.