THE TELEPHONE AND SETTLEMENT

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1521, 17 August 1912, Page 4

THE TELEPHONE AND SETTLEMENT

MINISTER ASKET O'CHEAPEN THE Tho Postmaster-General received a deputation yesterday morning, consisting of country members of Parliament. These members asked that tho charge of sixpence for each telephone communication within tho 25-milo radius should bo reduced from BJ. to 3d. They also urged that tho maintenance charge of £2 per milo for private lines was excessive. They stated, too, that a cheapening of the telephone system would do a great deal to induce settlement' in tho country districts, nnd. that the increased number of subscribers would mnko up for tho reduced charge. Tho Minister replied that ho was anxious to extend telephone facilities to tho backblocks, but ho could hardly say yet how far ho would lx> ablo to go in that direction. Ho did not think l!ho reduction from Gd. to 3d. for messages would pay the Department, Whether the radius could bo extended would depend on tho working of tho automatic system. Ho hoped to extend it to tho suburbs, but ho could not hold out any hope of the extension of tho system to tho backblocks. Hi promised to consider tho question carelully.