KEREPEEHI TELEPHONE SERVICE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4347, 25 November 1921, Page 3

KEREPEEHI TELEPHONE SERVICE.

IMPROVEMENTS WANTED), ASSISTANT SECRETARY’S VISIT. REPRESENTATIVE DEPUTATION. The Assistant-Secretary of the Post and Telegraph. Department (Mr G. McNamara), visited Net|berton, Kerepeehi, Ngatea, and other centres of the Hauraki Plains yesterday to investigate the matter of improved mails services to the Plains, by means of a daily motor service from Paeroa, and the opportunity was taken by. the residents of Kerepeehi to send a representative deputation to interview the Assistant-Secretary in reference tp desired improvements in the Kerepeehi telephone service. Mr E. Jamieson explained that a switchboard was wanted, as there were many people waiting to have the phones connected, and Kerepeehi had not been able; thus far, to obtain an exchange. There was an exchange at Turua, some seven miles\way, but Tnr.ua could not be accurately described as a centre for the Kerepeehi district. A night provision for getting through to a doctor’s residence, was badly needed. / Mr McNamara said the proposal did not appear practicable, but he Would look into it. In time the automatic system /would be greatly extended, and it would then be easy to get through to a doctor without t|he assistance of any telephone official. The trouble was that there was a great shortage of telephone materials, and synchronising with this Shortage was an abnormal demand for telephones. 7000 were still wanted, even though Die Department had installed a, record’ number last year. The position was rather curious, inasmuch’ as most of the telephone materials came from America The Department had advised the manufacturers in America that it urgently wanted 7000 telephones, but Ithey had rejoined that New York city was waiting for 70,000! The next lot would nbt arrive until next May, when a laijge order was due. There was a telephone materials famine in the world, and at the same time everyone wanted a ’phone.