§ 73. Mr. LESLIE SCOTTasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the serious injury to trade and business in Liverpool which is caused by the shortage of telephone accommodation in that city; whether he is aware that the firm of Taylor's Automatic Disinfector, Limited, performing services of great value to the community in the disinfecting of ships arrived in the port from overseas, having been compelled by force of circumstances to change their premises, have been refused a transfer of their telephone on the ground that the cable of the Royal Exchange is fully occupied; whether the possession of a telephone is essential to the work of the firm; whether the firm will now have to wait till some subscriber perishes before they can efficiently carry on their business; whether there are many similar cases in Liverpool; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter to enable the commerce and industry of the country to be carried on efficiently.
§ The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. Illingworth)Telephone service at the firm's new address cannot be supplied until about five weeks hence owing to lack of spare wires in the underground cables. There are many other oustanding applications in the Liverpool district. The provision of new cables and of additional exchange accommodation has been in hand for a considerable time past. A new Central Exchange and an extension of the Bank Exchange are being pressed forward as rapidly as possible, and other measures are under consideration for affording relief to the Royal Exchange. In view of the magnitude of the work and of the difficulties experienced by contractors in supplying the large quantities of plant, time must necessarily elapse before all applications received can be met.
§ 74. Mr. HIGHAMasked the Postmaster-General if he can state the number of operators engaged on the City, Regent, and Gerrard Exchanges respectively; the salary paid to these operators; the number of hours daily that they are employed; the average number of new operators taken on during the six months ending 31st December, 1919; how many operators left the service during that period; and what were the chief reasons given by them for leaving their employment?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTHThe operating staff employed at the City, Regent and Gerrard Exchanges number 333, 158 and 258 respectively, excluding supervising staff. Their pay, including war bonus, ranges from 32s. 4d. a week (at 16 years of age) to 55s. 4d. a week. The gross hours of duty are 48 weekly, involving a net working attendance not exceeding 42½ hours weekly. During the six months ended 31st December last 113 learners in all were appointed at the three exchanges, and 124 trained telephonists were trans-f rred from other exchanges. Seventy-five telephonists resigned from these exchanges during the same period, of whom 13 left to be married, 18 on grounds of health, 16 to take up other employment, and 28 for private reasons. In addition, 27 telephonists were retired for various reasons.
75. Mr. HICHAMasked the Postmaster-General if he can state how many applications for telephones he has had from January, 1919, to January, 1920; how many telephones have been installed during that period other than telephones for Government Departments; will he explain why there is so much delay in getting new telephones installed, particularly in business offices; whether the delay is due to lack of instruments or labour; and can he state the names of firms who supply telephone equipment and if it is open to any manufacturer, either at home or abroad, to tender?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTHThe number of applications received for telephones from 1st January, 1919, to 1st January, 1920, was, approximately, 94,300; the number of new installations completed, excluding those for Government Departments, was 61,987. The total number of telephone instruments provided, in those new installations and in extensions of existing 2027 installations, was 103,686. The delay in providing telephone circuits in certain districts is generally due to shortage of spare wires in the underground cables or want of accommodation for additional circuits on the exchange switchboards and to difficulty in obtaining from contractors an adequate supply of manufactured material, including underground pipes, switchboards and other plant. There are a large number of contractors for various classes of telephone equipment; any firm may compete on furnishing satisfactory evidence of ability to meet Post Office requirements. As a general rule, tenders would not be invited from manufacturers outside the United Kingdom.
§ Viscount CURZONIn view of the delay in getting a telephone installed, will private firms be allowed to tender for such work?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTHNo.
§ Mr. FRANCEWhy is it that the Department cannot do what any private firm can do, that is overcome difficulties in order to keep their customers?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTHWe can do what every private firm can do, but there are only a certain number of manufacturers' and private firms would not get on any quicker.
Lieut.-Colonel GUINNESSWas not a private firm before the War able to give us a much better telephone service?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTHMy recollection of the National Telephone service is that it was considerably worse.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that my recollection is entirely in the opposite direction?
76. Mr. HICHAMasked the Postmaster-General how many new telephone instruments his Department has purchased for the public telephone service from January, 1919, to January, 1920; how many telephones have been dismantled from Government Departments during the same period; how many of these instruments have been reinstalled by private subscribers; and what is the total number of instruments he had on hand on 1st January, 1920?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTHFrom the 1st January, 1919, to the end of the year 2028 92,800 telephone instruments were ordered, and 25,371 delivered, and 27,547 were recovered from Government Departments. It is not possible to say how many of the recovered instruments were included in the 103,686 telephones installed during the year for private subscribers. The Post Office had in stock on the 1st of January, 1920, 14,300 telephone instruments ready for use, besides a much larger number undergoing repair in its factories. The hon. Member will understand that the instrument is only a relatively small part of the apparatus required to give telephone service.