LOCAL PHONE SERVICE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 26, 9 March 1942, Page 5

LOCAL PHONE SERVICE

EVERYONE WHO IS EVERYONE COM PA RISC) X WITH THE PAST Arc yon on the phone? Nearly everyone in the Whakatane' district seems to be, judging from the telephone directory. The Whakatane exchange has seven pages of subscribers listed. Of course some names are duplicated for the convenience of the public looking up business and professional premises. Tanealua, Waimana. Te Toko and Matata. have each about a page of subscribers listed, and this service points to thriving communities in each centre. All this is a long way ahead el' Ungood old days, of say thirty years ago. when telephones were few and far between in Whakatane. and actually non-existent in the outlying district. Jn those days settlers "were obliged to make long trips to- obtain even the smallest piece of information. One old-timer who lived well out on the Plains, informed a BEACON representative that sale days were about the only opportunity for comparing notes and having a 'yarn.' There Avas no- trade delivery and the handy phoning of orders, which saved the housewife so much trouble to-day was replaced by a day's outing for the whole family in the buggy, . dray, or gig, which enabled mother to do the shopping for the week or fortnight, and return in the evening heavily laden with the supplies. The modern shortcuts of to-day were not thought of, and if our informant is to be believed, Ave re not missed. The simpler things satisfied everybody, and the aA'crage person drew far more pleasure froijn life than people of to-day, in spite ol quick transport, radio, theatres ami limited working hours.