THE TELEPHONE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1062, 27 February 1911, Page 5

THE TELEPHONE.

'.'. EXTENDING ITS OPERATIONS. (Br T«lccraDh--rr9«!< AJsonlatlon.' , Chrlstchurch, February 25. Some interesting remarks were made to-day when Sir Joseph Ward discussed with "Mr. 0. Laurenson, M.P.. Mr. M..J. Miller, r.nd Dr. Guthrie, of Lyttclton» the "question of improved telephone commtmication. Mr. G. W. Russell, M.l\, Who was also present, suggested that the Guverntneiit should establish public telephones at railway stations and other .".ib.ic places for use of travellers. When he was travelling in the North Island, for instance, lie said, it would havo been A great convenience for him to use the telephone at the Wellington Railway Station, and let his ''friends know that ho was spending a.littlo liino in the city. I'nln.crston North, where a traveller had sometimes to .-pend twenty minutes waiting for a train, was nnotiior lllustrnlion. A charge, of about Gd. might b« made for five minutes' uso of one of those telephones. It was n trilling cost which many people would be very ready to.incur. The telephone had entered into the public, private, and business life cf the people, and some -scheme like the one ho had suggested was absolulelv iiecessarv. Sir Joseph Ward said that the Government had been experimenting in the .direction pointed nut by Mr. Russell. Slot telephones were, being placed in some of the post .ofticcs. and several wero in tho Ron |at Wellington. In different centres « the Dominion public telephones could to used at the cost offices-