§ 70. Mr. VINCENT KENNEDYasked the Postmaster-General what sum of money has been expended by his Department in connection with the rural party telephone lines in England, Wales, and Scotland; have Irish farmers had any telephone facilities given; and, if so, will he state the nature of the same and the cost?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe amount actually spent or ear-marked to be spent in connection with rural party lines in Great Britain is £5,000. No such lines have actually been commenced in Ireland, and there are at present only three cases in which the necessary conditions are fulfilled, namely, at Carrickfergus, Kilmaca-nogue, and Two Mile Bridge (Clonmel), and the work of constructing the lines at these places will be shortly begun. The estimated cost of these lines is £315.
§ 71. Mr. CLYNESasked the Postmaster-General whether, in connection with the training of young men as unestablished night telephonists to replace established sorting clerks and telegraphists in various provincial towns, he is aware that officials of his Department have stated that the work of night telephonists is not such as should attract young men for permanent employment but is more suitable for a man who has failed in life; whether these arguments have been frequently used against the claim for establishment of the present night telephonists; and whether, in view of the fact that these statements conflict with the present practice of his Department, he will direct that the training of young men for unestablished positions on this admittedly badly-paid work shall be suspended until the Select Committee on Postal Servants has heard the views of the men's representatives?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELAs stated in my reply to the hon. Member's question of the 24th October, the question of the status 768 and pay of this class will no doubt be considered by the Select Committee. The conditions of service are clearly announced to all applicants.
§ 74. Mr. GOLDMANasked the Postmaster-General whether the installation of the automatic telephone exchange at Epsom has enabled him to judge to what extent more extensive development of this system in London and other centres is desirable; and, if so, has he formulated any plans for installing the automatic system in any of the exchanges of these centres?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe experimental automatic telephone exchange at Epsom has up to the present proved very satisfactory, and, as I stated in my reply to the hon. Member's question of the 20th March last, schemes for the establishment of larger automatic exchanges in Leeds, Brighton, and Portsmouth are under consideration. No further installation of automatic telephone equipment in the London area is, however, at present contemplated.
§ 75. Mr. GOLDMANasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the conversations between London and the West of England are unsatisfactory as regards hearing and delays; and what steps he proposes taking to remedy this state of affairs?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELOccasional cases of difficulty in hearing and of undue delay have occurred in connection with calls between London and places in the extreme West of England, but there is no reason to think that the service is generally unsatisfactory. Several additional circuits are now in course of construction between London and Exeter, London and Bristol, and Bristol and Plymouth, with the view of improving the service.
§ Mr. LEEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are one or two circuits in the West which are particularly bad, where the wires are almost impossible to hear over, and will he have those cases inquired into?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELPerhaps the hon. Member would be good enough to tell me the places.
§ Mr. GOLDMANHow long will it be before the defects are remedied?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI hope very shortly. The engineering staff are pushing on as rapidly as possible.
§ 76. Mr. GOLDMANasked the Postmaster-General to what extent he has formulated plans for ensuring in each and every district that prospective subscribers can be connected within a reasonable time of their application?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe general arrangements for the development of the telephone service are such as to ensure that, unless exceptional difficulties are encountered, prospective subscribers shall in all cases be connected within a reasonable time. A very large amount of plant is being constructed at the present time with a view to facilitating the installation of subscribers' telephones with the least possible delay. Unfortunately the amount of spare plant available for such purposes in the system taken over from the National Telephone Company was small.
§ 77. Mr. GOLDMANasked whether the Special Commissioner has completed his Report on the working of the automatic system at Munich and other European towns; and whether such Report will be published, and when?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe Reports of the Special Commissioner are for the information of myself and my Department, and as at present advised I do not propose to publish them.