THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1912. COUNTRY TELEPHONES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 18 November 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1912. COUNTRY TELEPHONES.

One of the greatest conveniences possessed by the. country settler at tho present time is tlio telephone. When, a few years back, he was'almost exiled by bad roads and lack of communication with the centres, to-day he is brought into close touch with civil is a-, tio.n, and is relieved of many of the 'hardships which were tho lot of the pioneer. Second to good roads, the tele-phono plays the most important part in securing tho comfort of the rural settler, and it is no inconsiderable factor in tho development of the internal resources of tlio Dominion. In this eoiimeetioiJj it is gratifying to find that tho present 'Government is doing everything in its power to facilitate the extension of the telephono service. On tho urgent recommendation of Mr W. C. Buchanan, M.P., tho Postm'aster-Goneral brought down a men sure entitled the "Country Telephone-Lino Bill," and this was placed upon the Statute Book, and has already tho full l'orco of law. Clause 2 of this Act says: "On the petition of any number of ratepayers, of a county or road district, tho local authority may, with tho ap'pi"oval of the Postmaster-General, erect and maintain tolephone-lines to connect the land,-* of tlioso ratepayers with any Government telephono office or telephone exchange., or may acquire and maintain or may control any .such .telephone-linos already erected." Sub-section 2 provides: "Tho signing of any such petition shall constitute a contract .as between tho signatories j and tho local authority that each of tho said signatories will become a contributor to tho telephono-line erected, j [ or acquired, or controlled in laccord-

a nee with tho petition, and will pay to tho -local authority the cost of connecting his land with tho line and such charges for the maintenance of tho lino as may from time, to time bo fixed by law; and such charges may bo in (addition to any..special rate levied by the locil authority as hereinafter mentioned." The local authority is authorised to raise money by way of special loan under tho Local Bodies Loans Act for tho -purpose of erecting and maintaining tho telephone line, and may levy a special rato ever tho lands of the signatories to tho petition sufficient to produce tho annual charges in respect, of the loan. The charges are to includo interest on the loai) ) and such annual payments by way of sinking fund as will insure tho reonymrint of tho loan within twelve years after tho date of raising the same. Provision is made fr-r tbo framing ( rf regulations by local authorities, and for two or more local bodies combining to erect, acquire or maintain a telephone lino which ox tends, or is intended tn extend into two or more districts. Tt will thus bo seen that the panio facilities are offered for the erection of telephones, as for the provision of roads and bridges. Th? concession is ono that will he greatly appreciated by' strug-gling-settlors, and which will doubtless be readily availed of. We should assume that jio local authority would refuse to take the steps provided for under tho Act, onoo it was in receipt of a petition, and that the Minister would be reluctant to withhold bis approval. Mr Buchanan, who is admittedly tho father of the measure, is to bo hea.rtilv congratulated upon securing legislation which will afford +-he advantages of the telephone system to a very considerable number of settlers who would otherwise l>e debarred its benefits.