EXPENSIVE TELEPHONES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 762, 7 September 1929, Page 16

EXPENSIVE TELEPHONES

COST IN RURAL DISTRICT* HAMILTON FARMERS PROTEST (From Our Ourn Correspondentf HAMILTON. Friday Protests at the existing charges for rural telephones were made at a meeting of the Waikato Farmers’ Union today. Mr. R. H. Feisst i Cambridge) sa ;d that in the past, when protests had been made, the department had leplied that its surplus was insufficient to warrant a reduction in charges. The departmental accounts, however, this year showed a surplus of £500,090 He thought this surplus justified a reduction. The Postmaster-General, the Hon. J. B. Donald, was reported to have said that efforts to reduce charges had been made, but that the department’s employees should receive the first consideration. He thought this a very narrow business principle. Clients should be the first consideration. Rural telephones were more of an absolute necessity than many city telephones, and were almost as expensive. The chairman, Mr. T. H. Henderson. who seconded, said it seemed to be the department's aim to build up a huge reserve at the expense of its rural subscribers. He himself lived only a few miles out of Hamilton, but paid £2S 10s annually for his telephone. There were five other subscribers on the line. On the motion of Mr. Feisst it was resolved to request the PostmasterGeneral and the Prime Minister to give urgent consideration to the question of reducing rural telephone charges.