TELEPHONE CHARGES

Hokitika Guardian, 18 May 1923, Page 4

TELEPHONE CHARGES

AUC'KI.,\XD URITLCISAIS. AUUKI.AXD. May Hi. The prnpn-'ed new telephone charges were the subject of a report iceeived by the Auckland Industrial Association yesterday from the speeial eomniiilo ■ appointed to deal with the icp-ort forwarded by the Canterbury Progress League. The committee recommended that the fullest support: of tlm Industrial Corporation he given to the Canter bury League in its proposals, and recorded its objections to the proposed charges on the ground that the Post-master-General's arguments for increasing the; telephone charges were evidently lamed upon wrong conclusions brought about by wrong allocations between the different branches of the R, and T. Department.

If the accounts of the various branches of the Department were accurately apportioned, continued the report, vhoy would show little or no loss in the telephone brunch, and such small loss would disappear when the latest automatic telephones were fully installed. The report further stated that it did not seem fair, in estimating the cost of the telephone branch, that the Department should credit the telegraph hrrueii with the whole of its receipts from the telephone bureau exchanges, amounting in one year to £208,m3. The Department had used as an argument for raising its charges the supposition that salaries, wages and materials would all he as excessive in the future as in 1021-22, whereas salaries and wages had already come down HI per cent, or more, while the cost of material had fallen even more iu some instances as much as ;>0 per