The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1096, 8 July 1879, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal and exact justice to aU men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious

or uo-tical. Here shaU the Press the People's right

maintain, Unawed by influence and tmbribed by gain.

TUESDAY, JULY 8, 1879

Some time since we drew attention to the necessity for a second wire bet ween Auckland and Kihikibi, and shortly afterwards the Hamilton Borough Council took the question up, and .memorialised the department through fche Mayor upon the subject. Nothing further has been heard of fche matter. This is quite m kaoping with the action of fche department, which would seem to bo imbued with the doctrine that the publio is made for fche telegraph, and nob the telegraph for the public. The Government; has claimed for itself a monopoly of telegraph lines m New Zealand, and m its management of them, shews that a monopoly m the hands of the Government is almost as bad as m that of individuals. That' the department is well aware that the appliances afc h-end are not sufficient to meet the public requirements of the colonists, is evidenced m the establishment of what are called " urgent " telegrams, where, by paying double rates, the sender may secure priority of transmission ovor ordinary telegrams; and it has now come to this, that to ensure what makes telegraphy of value— swift despatch — people^ have fco pay double rates. To do otherwise is actually, m some cases, to allow steam to outstrip electricity, for cases have been known m Waikato, where a letter sent by mail has reached Auckland earlier than an ordinary telegram, given m an hour previously to the mail leaving. We say nothing of the minor defects i of the working of the offices m detail — the bungled telegrams and other incon\o_iences. ' These aro often grievous enough ; bufc the utter want of consideration for the efficiency of the service, which allows commercial aud private business to be brought at times to a deadlock for want of the main appliances for transit, betokens an utter incompetency at head quarters. What would be said of the railway department if, for weeks and months, such a state of things were allowed to go on as railway stations crowded with passengers anxious fco travel, bat unable to do so, for want of carriages and engines. Yet this is precisely what has been going on for months past m the case of the Telegraph Department. Even m Waikato there have been not single days., bufc day after day, when, from some little extra pressure of business, ifc has been impossible to obtain the use of the wire for hours, even though double rates were paid. But this double ' rate system we hold to be a vicious one, unfair to those who cannot afford it, or whose messages may not be of sufficient importance to warrant it, and a blackmailing tax on those wbo can. As we have said, the necessity for it shows fche necessity for increased accommodation, which the public has a right fco look for from a Government which prevents private enterprise from stepping m and providing that accommodation which fche Government neglects to afford. If ofcher parts of the Colony suffer as Waikato • does from insufficient wire accommodation, then we say the department has indeed need of reform, for the want m this district is notorious. Again we would ask how ib is that communication has not been opened with Ohaupo. The line has been erected some time, bufc bhe wire is nob working yefc.