TELEPHONE MATTERS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 26 June 1912, Page 2

TELEPHONE MATTERS.

Requests which have been made recently to reduce the minimum tele phone rate of £5 a year are not favoured by the Postmaster-General. He considers that the present rate is modeiate fov the exclusive use of a telephone, and points out that jfii" gpea-;^ to those who desire to secure a telephone at a cheapep»ra!e 'to do so under ... the '• party wire" system, which per*, mits a number of persons' to use 'the same wire for a single, fee. If the minimum rate of £5 per year were lowered, Mr Ell remarked it would prevent the Department extending the system, and this would be unfair to - • people who have no telephone and to suburban subscribers, who have to pay more than the minimum rate. This is very well, but as far as Hel-. ensville is concerned it is doubly un» fair, as most of those who have put the telephone in and pay £5- a year, have done so, not for the mere convenience of use locally, but for tho,.gxeater convenience of being able to gessuk ;, :-^ communication with the city without^ii§ having to travel to. the Post Office bureau, hut there is only one wire between Helensville and the city and this wire has to serve a number of stations all along the line,, and even' subscribers who pay the £5 have to wait hours sometimes before they can get the city. We would like to point out that if there was a wire for the exclusive use of Helensville and district there would be no grumbling at th« minimum rato here, but it would induce a greater number of people to have the 'phone laid on. As it is at present h number pay the £5, and an extra 6d for every three minutes they use the 'phone outside the town, and have to- wait, as we are repeatedly hearing, long enough to go to the* City and do'their business by the " Kaipara Express." Either the, , Eailway Department is getting a move on. or the Postal Department are go*, ing backwards, or what. As the Minister is reported to have said his personal feeling was that the extension of rural services had first claitn -tr, attentinj^here is a good -Apportunit^Ml to staj^^^Afere. i J^^M bhc\vn by o good and apThe dramatic, being really This evening llatO'&Orfoy evening the company Avill put on a farewell programme being an entirelyinew- budget, bigger' brighter, and be/ter than ever. Mr Perry announcea'tliat;?this will hn-hJ^ last week here prior to. his departurJ^-i for Fiji, where ie is. billed for severaJ^Hji nionths. It wit be a monster enter^B^ taaunent, and cjou'tfc,rget that ThursTJg^^he last/iight. After Wednesda* 3Sfeßg'B|progranune there will be" a JKg ani all are invited. This dance wW to/ aye een after the final \ per formal^ f? n Thursday, but Mr "* Perry, nB/ to clasb- with the parakal'«L,lear-Social» decided to Kav e ,it o^Mfekf y ' ao roll up and get for the feet in patierfl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| they will fit por^^^^^^^^^^^H useless until f'^^^^^^^^^^^^H completely wie^^^^^^^^^H guaranteed by l^^^^^^^^^^^H IU&L brook „_,