§ Mr. BENNETT - GOLDNEYasked whether the Government intend, if requested to do so, to remove any telephone wires and poles which have been fixed in past years by the National Telephone Company over and on private property without permission?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI shall be glad to investigate any case of this kind on receipt of particulars. As a rule the powers of the Postmaster-General with respect to wayleaves on private property are no greater than those of the National Telephone Company. I hope, however, that property-owners will not press for removals of wires and poles which will cause interruptions in the service of subscribers.
§ Mr. OLIVER LOCKER-LAMPSONasked whether the Postmaster-General can appoint a committee to consider the advisability and practicability of a special cheap telephonic service in rural districts for farmers and small holders?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI have revised the scheme for rural party telephone lines so as to allow of smaller and more scattered groups of subscribers being served, and I hope very shortly to obtain the sanction of the Treasury for this scheme. It is hoped that it will meet many cases in which the conditions of the previous scheme could not be fulfilled. It would not appear that the appointment of a committee is necessary at the present time.
§ Mr. OLIVER LOCKER-LAMPSONasked whether any reduction in existing telephone rates is contemplated as the result of the recent acquisition of the service by the Government?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELIt is my intention to revise the rates for telephone service when the price to be paid for the National Telephone Company's system has been settled. Until then I can make 986 no statement as to the amount of the new rates. If necessary the proposed rates will be the subject of public inquiry. It is not intended that the revised rates shall be higher than is necessary to secure that the telephone service shall be self-supporting with a reasonable margin of profit.