§ 76. Mr. GOLDMANasked the Postmaster-General if he will state what is the estimated capital expenditure on trunks during the last twelve months ending March as compared with the corresponding period for the previous year or, if this is impossible, for the latest period he is able to give particulars?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELFor the current financial year figures are only available for the eight months ended 30th November last. The capital expenditure during that period amounted to £314,620, as against £184,263 for the corresponding period of the financial year 1911–12.
§ 77. Mr. GOLDMANasked what is the estimated profit of the telephone system for the year ending March last or, alternatively, for the periods March to 1364 December, 1912, and January to March, 1913; and how much of the amounts available it is proposed to apply to either redemption of plant, expansion of the service, or reduction in rates?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe latest account of the telephone system is for the year ended 31st March, 1912, and is included in House of Commons Paper No. 378/12, published last month. Figures for the corresponding account for the current financial year or the period to the 31st December last are not yet available.
§ 78. Mr. GOLDMANasked how many orders for telephone service were outstanding on 31st December, 1911, and 31st December, 1912; and how many in each case had been outstanding for more than one calendar month?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELAs I informed the hon. Member on the 11th December, 1912, the outstanding orders for telephone exchange lines at 31st December, 1911, numbered 2,115 in the London area. The corresponding figure for the provinces is not available. At the 31st December, 1912, the outstanding orders numbered, in London, 1,943, and in the provinces, 5,836. There is no information at hand as to the number of these orders which had been outstanding for more than a month.