44. Viscount SANOONasked the Post master-General what conditions, which do not apply to this country, make it possible for Germany to establish telephonic communication with the Argentine, for Holland with the East Indies, at a rate only just over a quarter of our charge for conversation with America, which is less than quarter the distance, and for Holland to carry out successful conversations with Sydney, Australia; and at what date he contemplates following the lead of these foreign countries in communicating with distant parts of the British Empire?
§ The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Sir William Mitchell-Thomson)The answer is long and, with my Noble Friend's permission, I propose to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ My information is that the rate for a telephone call between Germany and Buenos Ayres is about £6 12s. for three minutes, as compared with a rate of £9 for a call between this country and the eastern parts of Canada and the United States. The former service is, however, at present limited to one public telephone station in Buenos Ayres, to which the person called has to be summoned by previous notice. Moreover, the service is only open for a few hours daily 1588 and is wholly dependent on one shortwave radio channel; whereas the British transatlantic service is available for l5½ hours daily for any subscribers to speak under normal commercial conditions from their own house or office telephones, and is conducted by means of two channels, one long-wave and one short-wave, which together give a much greater degree of reliability and freedom from interruption.
§ The service between Holland and Java is similar in general conditions to the German-Buenos Ayres service, but even more restricted in scope; calls at the lower rate of £2 10s. for three minutes have to be booked two or three days in advance. For calls booked for completion as early as possible, not necessarily the same day, a rate of £10 for three minutes is charged. The distance between the terminal radio stations is not the governing factor in the cost of radio telephone service: and the British transatlantic telephone charges compare favourably with those of the other services mentioned in relation to the service rendered.
§ As regards the last part of the question, a satisfactory and reliable public telephone service is already available between all parts of Great Britain and all the principal towns in Canada. and experiments are being arranged for services with Australia, India and South Africa. The date by which public services can be opened must depend on the results of these experiments. The calls between Holland and Sydney referred to were conducted under very favourable experimental conditions, which are essentially different from the technical conditions which have to be faced in a public service designed to meet everyday business requirements.