NEW TELEGRAPH RATES

Hokitika Guardian, 6 March 1931, Page 6

NEW TELEGRAPH RATES

FALL IN TRAFFIC PREDICTED. PLANT SAID TO BE NOT FULLY EMPLOYED. AUCKLAND, March 4. The opinion that the new scale or charges would simply tend to increase any present losses on the telegraph system by causing an immediate slump in business has been expressed by a former telegraph operator, Mr W. Phillips.

“I was working in Auckland at the time ol the influenza epidemic ioi' 1018,’’ said Mr Phillips, “and 1 well , remember what happened when the Department decided to accept telegrams at urgent rates only. This restriction was imposed when the worst stage in Auckland had passed. There had been 1 a good volume of traffic, but. as soon | as urgent rates were charged business 1 dropped away almost to nothing. We j in the operating room had hardly any- | thing to do. “I believe that the raising oi the | ordinary telegram rate from Del to I s will have the same effect, although the ' falling-off niitv not he quite so serious. , When 1 left the service numbers of ! Auckland business houses were in the j habit of sending telegrams to customers when ,letters 'to. the same addresses would have arrived only four nr live, hours later. I am quite sure that the new rates will put a stop to that, class of business, and there is little doubt that a great many private people will write letters instead of sending telegrams, except in cases of real need oi speed. Speed by Modern System. Speaking with experience of the Murray multiplex system of telegraphy, now used between all the larger centres of the Dominion. Mr Phillips said that accepting the Postmaster-GeneraTs statement that the cost of handling a ninepenny telegram was Is 2d, the loss must he due to the fact that the whole volume of traffic was not large enough. ’Undoubtedly the plant now installed was capable of taking several times ns much business as was passing at present. At many of the smaller centres, such as Wanganui, one operator with a multiplex could do all the work, sending and receiving. during certain hours of the day. With this apparatus four messages could he sent and four received simultaneously over the same line. It was also possible to send a message from Auckland to Wellington. Christchurch and Dunedin in a single , operation. !

The test rate for multiplex operators was 35 words a minute, and many men in New Zealand were capable of exceeding it for four hours continuously. When in Christchurch lie had finished an ordinary telegram within one minute of its being handed in at Auckland. A Press message of 1 (>OO words in length could lie put through to a number of places simultaneously in about '25 minutes. All this showed that New Zealand had a fine telegraphic plant, which was not nearly ullv used. To raise the rates would simply cause it to he used less instead of more.

Limits on Press Traffic

I Kegarding Press rates, Air Phillips said that with the magnificent plant available he could see no sense in imposing a night limit of GOOD words for morning pa'petrs, and of 1000 words for evening papers. So far as staffing and wages were concerned, the Department had dispensed with a large number of men since the introduction of multiplex working, and a further saving would he made when the 10 per cent, cut in salaries was introduced. If it was possible to handle Press traffic under the old .Morse key system without serious loss, lie found it hard to understand why. with modern plant, there should he any need to raise tlm charges. The public could have every confidence in the ability of the secretary of the Department. Air G. McNamara, to run the postal and telegraph services, as a combined whole, on business lines, and at a profit if only he were given a free hand.