§ 26. Sir H. BRITTAINasked the Postmaster-General whether he is able to give the number of public telephone call boxes in Great Britain, together with the approximate annual loss or profit, in maintaining them?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYThe total number of public call office stations at the 31st March last was 15,874. The total revenue, exclusive of trunk calls, collected from public call offices during the past financial year was £490,000. No separate account is kept of the cost of maintaining call offices, but the operating is expensive where coin boxes are fitted, as is usually necessary, and there is no doubt some loss on this branch of the service.
Captain TERRELLIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are a large number of villages in this country in which there are no public telephones or boxes, and will he consider the advisability of having at least one public telephone call box installed in every village in the country?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYI must have some regard to the question whether there is a demand which is likely to give a return at all comparable with the expense.
Captain TERRELLIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is a great demand in certain agricultural districts, and that a large number of applications have been made to him, and that he has taken no consideration of them at all?