1906.] 



Damage by Rooks. 



227 



and this may help growers in some cases to obtain what they 

 require. The basis of this guarantee is explained in the following 

 general statement which has been furnished to Lord Carrington 

 by the Postmaster-General : — 



In cases where the Postmaster-General is satisfied that the 

 establishment of a call office is desirable on general considerations, 

 although there may not be an immediate prospect of remuner- 

 ative business, he is prepared to consider applications for call 

 office facilities favourably, provided a guarantee is given to the 

 extent of one-third of the balance of the expenses over the 

 revenue. ^ ' 



The expenses will include the cost of maintaining the wires, 

 apparatus, and silence cabinet, also the cost of attendance, account 

 keeping, and accommodation, together with the interest on the 

 capital outlay. The revenue will be arrived at by taking the 

 call office receipts,, including the charge for the use of the local 

 line provided under guarantee, but excluding charges for the use 

 of the trunk v/ires. Thus, assuming that the annual expenses 

 in connection with a call office amounted to £20, and the receipts 

 amounted to i in the year, at the end of the year the guarantors 

 would be called upon to pay ;^3, that is, one-third of the deficit, 

 and the State would bear the remaining two-thirds of the loss. 



With regard to a suggestion that public telephone call offices 

 should be opened at villages where the telegrams are at present 

 forwarded and received by telephone, the Postmaster-General 

 states that he would be very glad if it were possible to do this, 

 but, unfortunately, the circuit is, as a rule, unsuitable in con- 

 struction for use in conjunction with the trunk wire system, and 

 moreover very often is not led into a post office where the trunk 

 wires are available. In such cases call offices in connection with 

 the trunk system cannot be provided without considerable ex- 

 pense. The Postmaster-General will, however, be glad to en- 

 quire into any such case that may be brought to his notice. 



The Board have received a considerable number of replies to 

 .heir recent circular letter addressed to Agricultural Societies 



_ , and Farmers' Clubs, in which it was su^- 



Damagre by Rooks. , 1 ^ • • r 1 ^ • 



° gested that m view of the marked mcrease 



in the number of rooks during recent years. Societies might 



