Rural Telephones.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 6 March 1914, Page 2

Rural Telephones.

A. - v ■ ■ On the Party System. Ai'P!;'-V!::> j>v HoKoWIIKXi A SKTTLKIiS. A pnbljc meeting of settlers (onveiied by Levin ( liamber of Conmierc:') was held in the Oddfellow-,' liall last evening. The object of ilie meeting was (o con. sider the proposed installation of rur;il telephones (on the partv system) for the districts between KopulaMKi, Foxton road. (.Jladsiom- road, Muhunoa, Ohau, Kuku. Manakau North and Manakau Soilih. Mi - 1 , ,. S. Lancaster, chairman :il (he Chanihei- of Commerce, presided. Mr Pellow. electric lines ■ngineer to AVaipawa County 'nuncil, who has been engaged by rlie Chamber of Commerce Io reiort on the sysieiu in respeci of .evin and district, vv-as present at he meeting to give details and any questions. }'■<: i'obiison, M.P. foi , the electorate. ■"a.-; also ])reseul. There was a (•presentat ive gathci-ing of seillers ■eluding p-.'ople from Muhunoa,. 'L;iu, and Manakau. in all i:ne thirty settlers were present. Mr l;anc;is<er briefly introduced h. ,, snl)|ec( for discussion, and re:iaike:l that party ielephones had ■•:•: n found io work admirably in te AVairarapa and various parts >f Iliiwko's Hay. lie had heard n;in Mr Pellow thai there was a '-.■■liliuod of Levin and • district dting for £1000 a system .-- »ood and as etVeciive as what Vaipawa County had io pi\ t'")()(M) for. Levin was so closev settled that the mileage of linelecessary would bo very much less than the average. In ■ peaking of the advantages of a ■ural scheme, Mr Pellow said it vould expedite the day when : continuous telephone system vould be possible. in Levin 'he ongesi line would be only iw . ve 'uiles so far as he saw ihe possi-. ilities, so the cost would be •omparalively As ;i ine;n>)f bi-ginniny the scheme he would ■commend a start with the Levin-Vlanakau-Manakau South line. 'Ie believed this line could l< ; 'iiilt for £")()(). . Tins esiimaiiuv twelve miles of line, More being two miles of line i>r >• i(l(:il for Manakau South. {{;• .'licved there would be iJ mi]> . i-ribers available on the coiniiiu ■ I me he spoke of, and the liabi!ii,M)uld_ be a sum of i'i 10s p-T • übscriber per annum for cost of i clean main line, supposing ihe Money was raised at ") per .our ■ r 'inder. In actual .TMriice ii •vould be found less, lie felt mi-v having regard io the ex u-rienc. >f AVaipawa County wii.'i iis ••'inch wider area) (hat ih-> a.-ti!a! ■'•si would be lower. In answer to questions put e.\Messrs Neill, Inge, P)vies, ,m!i ;lher settlers, Mr Pel! , v said l>.

>'Heved in centralisation. Thci; .people would μ-et most for their ■loney. For instance, if they were joined to Oisiki they" would •et less than they could with Levin. Me hoped" Otaki ar.d Mankau would conic in with Levi:.id get a big- ringing circuit : lo uive small sections. pufliim , •igainst each other would he :igainsf. (lie interests of all. Mr 'Vllow said he had not allowed for cost of sidelines in his estimate of £4 l()s per aninun, but lie sideline was a comparatively small thing in regard to cost. To Mr Grieg: These party telephone schemes were based on equal payments in regard to--dis-tance; he thought that only fair, us- the longer distance ;, ig the shorter distance one. Mr Howard Andrew advocated ilie linking up of as wide a disJrict as possible; it was heartiimikiug to have to call up a bur■aii subscriber and wait'for the •(•condary summons. Mr Lancaster said the scheme •onld be open to all: thev would

"clcdino Otaki or any othei' (: mh. tie into the scheme. Mr Pellow explained to Mr Orel"' that -settlers in ou(-of-the-«';iy places would h;ivc to iirrau-rc illi the controlling authority for extensions. Where any road h;id

hvc or six settlers living on if iho.se settlers could de-ppnd upon getting into the scheme for (he or. dinary charge of (say) t'-l Ms. On ilie point as to maintenance, •Mr Pel low said that the rule in Waipawa was "three on a wire fni everybody. ,. The scheme was !('!■ the masses, not the few (laughter). Mr Cork (postmaster) referred 1" Hie (UMitrjilisation of service, i'lid asked how had il nfVecie.i icr exchanges within a slmrf liiduis of Waipawa. Mr Pcllow -plained that Otane and Waipu■■"rau had awakened with a jump ■ -d had secured longer hourstjiat had been forced on them by 1 in'ir local farmers. (31 ]• \ . ; ]-, IVI -. "Thafs what Otaki will' 'il,, '"j Laughter. Mr Pol low also explained that Maintenance was undertaken b v U.-.ipnwn County Council. The m Pli-ijishingr of batteries meant -i ■I" , ' « ! yo»-y teu montlis or so T|w. J'.'-'ctice was (o «lo tile line in sec»n«7 .cplcnish all <|.«. bat'■'Y- «'oiho lot whet her i]wv '."'< ded it or not, "just Hk,. w^l,'ill" boys .

Mr Robertson asked if a charge sill would be made for ringing up Otaki wheirihe scheine was initiated. -M'r Pellow said there .ould be the reduced fee of -M to •ay; but in the event of Otaki setiers coming into the scheine on ■he party win , system there woi.ij'- ,, - no charge, for ringiii^-u^V' ilu'in. Mr (iriejr wanted to liave it Miade clear Avhat would be the o>t of installation. Mr Pellow •.id each settler would have io >:iy a third of the initial cost of ■>ite. A settler having to pay 01 wire in excess of the Tele•'ia])h Deparhnent's 11 J.niles of iiei' wire would have to do so in iddition to the annmil ielephoiit ( ,f i" ! 10s: but after the 'ist year the charge would be on- \ L'-l 10s per annum. 11 was moved by Mr Howard \ndrew, socmidcd by Mr J. T)> Hrown, and uuanirnouslv resolv-

■•<!: "Thai ihis meeting of scr!ers of the AVirokino and Oiaki tidings of the Horowhenua Counv Council approves the- scheme Uaval Telephones on the pnriy vsiem now being arranged for by Chamber f Conrmerce. This meeting affirms the desirMeness of having , the scheme ta;en over and administered by ilie 7orowhonua Counly Council, and •~ks that iis installation 1)(> P \. ■r-dited." On the motion of Mr J. C. V;ill, seconded by Mr S. L. Jackjon, a hearty vote of thanks was ".assed io Levin Cliambei , of ComMieree for the earnest and active Manner in which it had worked '(i briny this scheme to a suecess"ul issue. Mr 'Robertson moved and Mr Kccleton seconded a motion that ' itaki Town Board be asked to move in the matter. Mr MeKegg, •hairman of the Board, undertook '() make the necessary representations. A deputation to wait upon the M oun(y Council was_ appointed, as ,; ollows, on the motion of Mr I). W. Matheson, seconded by Mr .Vmlrew : Messrs McKeg-# (Otaki), Vskew (Manakau). Jackson (AYiro'■•iiio), J, McLeavoy (Olinu), J. 'V Brown (Kuku), Lancasier and "'obertson (Chamber of Commerce) ■mi Pellow (engineer). The ouiicil is to he. a,;ked io receive N' deputation at its meeting on 'aiurday week. ,, A liearty vote of ihanks was massed io Mr Pellow for lu's inInictive address, and a voie of hanks to the chairman tcrminatv■■'d the meeting.