HC Deb 08 April 1913 vol 51 cc993-4
58. Mr. ALAN SYKES

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has received the further Grant for rural party lines which he informed this House on the 9th December, 1912, the Treasury had consented to give; and, if he has received it, whether it is now exhausted?

Mr. HERBERT SAMUEL

The Grant referred to by the hon. Member was duly made and has already been allocated for the provision of a number of new rural party telephone lines in different parts of the country. I am glad to say that I have now received authority to spend a further sum of £20,000 in providing lines of this class.

64. Mr. TOUCHE

asked the Postmaster-General if his attention has been called to the case of a telephone subscriber residing in Ella Road, Crouch Hill, in the borough of Islington, who is denied the benefits of the inner London exchange tariff, whilst near neighbours who are not resident, as he is, within the Metropolitan area, but in the borough of Hornsey, are connected to a Metropolitan exchange, with the result that they can speak to the whole Metropolitan area for 1d., although they live outside it, while he is charged 2d.; and, in view of the disadvantage of this arrangement, will steps be taken to endeavour, as far as possible, to serve persons residing in the county of London from exchanges situated therein, so as to remove inequalities of the kind indicated?

Mr. HERBERT SAMUEL

I am aware of the circumstances of the case to which the hon. Member refers. The address of the subscriber in Ella Road referred to is within the area which is proper to and has, since 1907, been served by the Hornsey exchange, and he has no claim to be connected with any other exchange. The addresses of the two neighbours are also proper to that area, but their circuits, with a number of other circuits for other persons in the locality, were provided by the National Telephone Company to their North exchange in 1905, before the Hornsey exchange was opened. Steps are now being taken to adjust the anomaly which exists by transferring such circuits as far as practicable to their proper exchange.