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Hokitika Guardian, 1 February 1922, Page 2

A contemporary remarks that the revenue of the Post and Telegraph Department in the last quarter was just a shade better than in the December quarter of 1920, bjit the improvement was not equal to the normal increase in the population. The revenue from telegrams again shows a decline, which ought to convince the authorities that at last by raising charges they have started to “kill the goose”. The public is now using the telegraph office much less than it used to do when the rates were reasonable. This is to be regretted, because the telegraph is an important institution tfnd its employment often means considerable expedition of business. It seems about time the Government tried the experiment of popularising the public services—there should by now have been .sufficiently exhaustive trials in the other direction. This applies to telephone revenue alslo. It would have been noticed that the Progress League deputation which waited on the postal officials here last week, referred to the increased charge for the bureau use of the telephone line between Hokitika and Greymouth. Last month the charge jumped from throepence to ninepence! The big increase is explained by the statement that the line goes round to Greymouth by Marsden and approximates l sam« 48 miles in length. Hitherto the charge has been computed by the length of the lVmte Covered b|y the railway line, namely 24 miles. Some officii however has had a brilliant brain wave to secure more revenue, and so up goos the price. Needless to say when folk find out the cost they will be less prone to use the telephone and so a useful facility will become an expensive luxury and ho seldom in use. Some day the authorities will wake up to the need for popularising the public services as a means' for increased revenue and increased business vitality.

It is noted in an Auckland paper that Mr P. Helmore the Christchurch representative for Thomas Cook and Son’s Tourist Agency h|\s returned from a personally conducted motor tom- of the East and West Coasts of the South Island arranged by his firm. He speaks in glowhig terms of the scenery on this trip. The journey from Hokitika southward* to the Franz Josef Glacier is very beautiful epitomising as it does the very best of forest, lake, mountain and glacial scenery to be found in the Dominion and probably in the World Mr Helmore is confident that when the bridges on tho Franz Josef run, which are in process of construction, are complete, the tour will easily become the most popular in New Zealand. Mr Helmore states that the accommodation en route has greatly improved since his last , visit. This publicity payagguph in regard to the grandeur of the South Westland trip, will be an appreciated advertisement Mr Helmore makes reference to the absolute need of the

bridges to popularise the jroute to make it “the most popular in New Zealand.” This recalls the fact that Hon. Coates’ Estimates this year, re-

duce the grant for bridging the Wai- | tangi river from £3,000 to £SOO, a rather clear indication that nothing la ill be doing in this year of rqpord ’ expenditure by the Public Works De.partment to advance this highly necessary work. There is also the de- ( pressing fact in connection with the Estimates that the modest £l5O placed on the list a year ago for file AMaiho . bridge has disappeared. Are wo to , assume from this that the Government absolutely veto the work The Waiho is one of the most dangerous on the . southern route, and the Government , indifference to past promises in ref- ■ crence to the work, shows how the poj sitiou is ignored. The 'position i-e- ---•' garding this work is all the more re- ! markable from the fact that the local ] I body offered to contribute a. substan- • tial proportion of the cost, so much 1 impressed were the residents with the : necessity for the work.