§ MR. FULLERTON (Cumberland, Egremont)I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether he will undertake to supply a public telephone service for the town of Millom; and whether there are any other towns in the United Kingdom with a population of 10,000 without a public telephone service.
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONEnquiry was made by the Post Office in 1903, and again in 1905 as to the demand for a telephone service at Millom, but not more than five subscribers could be found. The length of a trunk line to Barrow would be about twenty-four miles and it would be costly to erect. I will, however, have further enquiry made as to the amount of the guarantee required under the reduced terms lately announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. There are other districts with as large a population as Millom without a telephone service, the provision of which must depend more on the demand than on actual population.