§ 39. Colonel APPLINasked the Postmaster-General whether he will consider the possibility of reducing the fee charged for the second three minutes of a trunk telephone call to half the original trunk fee, taking into consideration that the original fee covers the time and expenses of making the call and establishing connection and that the second fee only covers the extra three minutes the lines are in use?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONThe difference in the cost of a three minutes and a six minutes call varies according to the method of operating and the length of the telephone circuit used; and this was duly taken into account in fixing the trunk tariff. The difference is, however, much less than is implied in my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion, which I am unable to adopt.