PRIVATE TELEPHONES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3580, 20 July 1912, Page 11

PRIVATE TELEPHONES.

SOME INTERESTING SUGGESTIONS. REPORT TO THE COOK COUNTY COUNCIL. The question of private telephone lines was dealt with at length in a report presented to the Cook County Council yesterday, by Cr Williams. He pointed out that the Comity Council had found it" advisable to take under its consideration the question of private telephone' wires owing to the repeated applications from private individuals, to run lines upon County roads. The difficulties arising from the congestion of these private lines had become acute. This Council therefore welcomed the efforts of the Department to solve the question and desired to express its appreciation thereof. The Council, however, feared that these efforts as outlined in the Department’s schedule of rents, will fail of success owing partly to some slight anomalies in the schedule and partly to the fact that the annual rental per mile of wire was too high to attract subscribers. Since it was greatly to the advantage of this Council and residents in the County that the scheme should succeed, the Council desired to express its opinion upon the question, to point out the demerits of tiie scheme, and suggest alterations. The first anomaly appeared to the Council to he in discrimination in the matter of construction between party and line of varying numbers of subscribers. Another was to 1)0 found in the treatment of the single subscriber wire and the two-subscriber wire. A further point was the question of rental charges. The following recommendations were then made:—(l) That the rental charge per mile of wire should be very materially reduced ;if possible' to such a point.as may offer an inducement to subscribers to prefer Government construction to private construction. (2) That the schedule should be amended to provide for complete construction up to such a point as the Department may decide for all wires, irrespective of the number of subscribers thereon; computing the rental at per mile, adding thereto such charge as the Department may think fit for each subscriber for exchange work. (3) That the Department should consider carrying their construction to a 16-mile radius where a sufficient number of wires is offered, using lines of a lighter construction where heavy lines do not exist. (4) The Council desires to add a recommendation with regard to bureau stations. That these stations should be available to the public at more convenient • hours—from 7 a.m. to 9 n.m., and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: and also an hour on Sunday morning and evening if possible.

It was decided to forward a copy of the report to the Chief Postmaster and to opproach the other local bodies on the matter, and solicit their cooperation.