§ MR. H. C. RICHARDS (Finsbury, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his attention has been called to the fact that the local authorities at Guernsey have cut the telephone wires communicating with the post office; if he is aware that members of the Royal Courts deny the right and authority of the Post Office to establish or acquire telephonic communication in and with the island; and, what steps does he propose to take to prevent further destruction of property in Guernsey?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEY,) Lancashire, BlackpoolMy attention had not previously been called to this matter, but I am informed on inquiry that the telephone wires which communicate with the post office at Guernsey have been cut by the local authorities. The wires, however, were the property, not of the post office, but of the National Telephone Company, and were cut on the ground that they were stretched across public streets and private property without authority. An application of the company for the requisite permission to carry its wires across the roadways is now before the States with whom the decision rests. I am informed that the right of the Post Office to telephonic communication with the island is not disputed by the Royal Court, and there are no grounds for any interference on my part.