COUNTRY TELEPHONES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 226, 30 January 1911, Page 3

COUNTRY TELEPHONES

'IMPORTANT CONCESSIONS TO USERS IN RURAL DISTRICTS.

Sir Joseph Ward had an announcement | to make during his speech at Stratford' which will be of particular interest to I settlers in the more remote parts of New Zealand. He' said that during the la.st 1 session he asked Parliament to agree to a | preliminary vote of £'2ooo for the assistance of settlers who desired to erect rural I telephones. There were many places in , the Dominion where it was out of the I question for the Department to erect ex- \ pen.sive lines, but which could be very well served by the settlers associating together and erecting lines with their.own materials. Wherever associations of settlers are formed for this purpose the Government will in future make a grant in aid according to the importance of the line and the number of settlers likely to be served by it. At the same time, lie proposed that the Department's officers should give every possible assistance in the way of advice in connection with the erection of such lines. Those settlers who were willing to subsidise the Department's lines will also be materially relieved. He proposed that the Department should assume half the risk of loss, and that will reduce the subsidy required by one-half. "The two concessions referred to," said Sir Joseph, "will be of considerable advantage to settlers, and should ensure a more rapid extension of telephone lines in rural districts. The ideal that I have before he, and that 1 will be very proud to see realised, is that every portion oi' the Dominion where human beings are living should be brought with their cooperation inlo touch with the civilised world." •■-e-i.iai