“ITS A CRUEL SHAME”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 352, 12 May 1928, Page 11

“ITS A CRUEL SHAME”

CLOSING OF TELEPHONE OFFICE COUNTY COUNCIL ANNOYED (From Our Oicn Correspondem) TE KUITL To-day. Strong exception to the proposal of the postal department to close the telephone office at Moeatoa was taken by members of the Waitomo County Council yesterday. The Telegraph Engineer, Hamilton, wrote saying that the revenue derived from the Moeatoa office was so small that it was being ipaintained at a loss, and asking if the council would consider subsidising the telephone office. A CRUEL SHAME Councillor Rose strongly objected to spending the ratepayers’ money on subsidising a Government undertaking. Councillor C. K. Wilson said it was a cruel shame that settlers should be deprived of their small facilities. It seemed as if the Government was trying to increase the burden on the outback settler, instead of lightening it. The chairman thought the subsidy proposed was the “thin edge of the wedge” and if the county agreed to it, it might have far-reaching effects so far as small telephone offices throughout the Dominion were concerned. It was decided to write to the department to the effect that the county would not agree to subsidising the office, and to state that the settlers were taking steps to protest against the closing of the office. A copy of the resolution will be sent to the Post-master-General. “I don’t think the Postmaster-General knows this sort of thing is going on,” was the comment of a councillor.