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P-General's reply considered
unsatisfactory by Pingelly Shire
As we reported some weeks ago, the Pingelly Shire Council
is very strongly opposed to the new telephone directories and
asked the Federal Member for Canning, Mr J. M. Haiieti.
to ascertain information on the relative printing cost of thj
old and the new directories.
Mr Hallett made an approach to the Postmaster-General.
Sir Alan Hulme, and a copy of the latter's reply came before
the last meeting of the Pingelly Council. The reply was not
appreciated by Councillors - some of whom were openly critical
of it. and the high-handed attitude of the Department.
In discussion it was pointed
out that, apart from one State,
all pink pages advertising in
Australian telephone director -
ies was now in the harvds of
an American firm.
The Postmaster/General's re
ply to Mr Hallett was as under
"I refer to your personal representations
regarding the new
W.A. telephone directories.
")lt is not the practice to
make available detailed information
on directory production
costs. However, the cost
of producing the current W.A.
directory - although $15,000
higher than that incurred for
the 1970 directory - was n°ver
the-less $18,000 lower than
that which would 'have incurred
had a State-wide directory
been issued in 1971.
"This saving was achieved
notwithstanding the inclusion
in each country telephone directory
of a fully classified section
allowing for each business
subscriber to have a free listing
under an appropriate classification
and the necessity to
print extra copies for free issue
to subscribers having a
need for other than their local
telephone directory.
"Additional savings will be
made in future years as cxper
ience has shown that after the
first issue of a reconstructed
directory, many subscribers re
questing books for other areas
find they have little need for
them and So production costs
are reduced."
IN COMPLETE ACCORD
'Mrs C. Schilling., of Beverley
is in complete accord with the
views of Pingelly Shire Councillors
on telephone directories
A letter from rMs Schilling
which came before the last
Pingelly Council meeting referred
n part to the rediculous
circumstances of separate directories
for Pingelly, Brookton
Wandering and Perth. Beverley
was similarly placed having
the same directory as Esperance,
Kalgoorlie and Laverton
— the likelihood of local resi
dents calling those areas being
practically nil.
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