TELEPHONE BETWEEN FOX0TON AND SHANNON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3768, 22 June 1907, Page 3

TELEPHONE BETWEEN FOX--OTON AND SHANNON.

Mr Stevens Deputationised. A joint deputation from the local Chamber of Commerce and the Borough Council, including Messrs Hennessy, Rae-Howard, Frankland, Clemett, Fraser, Perreau, Walker, Stiles, Rimmer, Gray, and Dr Mandl, waited upon Mr Stevens, M.H.R., to-day, with reference to the establishment of a direct telephone service between Foxton and Shannon. Mr P. Hennessy, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, introduced the deputation and mentioned that their object was to bring under the notice of Mr Stevens, and through him the Department, the unsatisfactory means of telephonic communication between Foxton and Shannon, as at present there was no direct wire, it being necessary to communicate via Palmerston North, a distance of some 35 miles Whereas, if a direct telephone wire between Foxton and Shannon were established, a distance of only about xo miles, it would be of great benefit to the people of both places. Mr F. W. Frankland strongly endorsed the remarks of Mr Hennessy and mentioned the great inconvenience of having to connect by telephone with Shannon via Palmerston North instead of by means of a direct wire between the former place and Foxton. The disadvantages of this indirect route of communication were added to by, he believed, the absence of a metallic circuit. Mr Alf. Fraser said that he thought it was desirable, seeing the growing importance of the port of Foxton, that a means of more speedy communication should be established between Shannon and the port than at present obtained, and he also mentioned the difficulty of hearing, distinctly, conversations which took place on the wire when attempting to communicate with Shannon via Palmerston North. Mr Stevens, in replying, mentioned that he had some little time since introduced a deputation of settlers from the Moutoa district, consisting of Messrs Carter, Edwards, and Saunders, to the Acting-Postmaster General, Hon. Dr Findlay, for the purpose of bringing before him the desirability of establishing a telephonic service between Shannon and Moutoa. The deputation had been favourably received by the Minister, who had given his assurance that the subject would receive his early and earnest attention. Up to the present time no definite reply has been received, but he (Mr Stevens) would be only too pleased to supplement the request of the Moutoa settlers by impressing upon the Minister the desirability of establishing a direct telephone wire between Shannon and Foxton, and he also suggested that Mr Hennessy, as Chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce, and member of the present deputation, should embody their representation in a letter to him [Mr Stevens) which he would forward on to the Minister together with a strong covering letter impressing upon him the importance and necessity of the request made therein being complied with by the Department and he added that he would be only too pleased to give the matter his support in any way possible. Mr Hennessy than thanked Mr Stevens on behalf of himself and the deputation for the promise of help which he had accorded, for the way in which he had received them and had always used his best efforts to help them in any public matters that had been brought before him.