§ 80. Lieut.-Colonel Wickhamasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the difficulties experienced by inhabitants of small villages unprovided 1341 with telephone kiosks in cases of fire, sudden illness, and other emergencies; and whether he can see his way to reduce the existing rental of £4 for five years or, alternatively, to spread the total amount over a longer period?
§ Sir W. WomersleyI am aware of the difficulties; but they differ in degree with local circumstances, and it is necessary to maintain some fixed standard of discrimination. Under the Jubilee concession kiosks will be provided without special payment in every village or hamlet where there is a post office and facilities do not already exist. It would not be possible to provide kiosks in every village or hamlet throughout the country without overloading the finances of the Department and delaying other work. Under the tercentenary concession therefore, any village or hamlet can have a kiosk if the local authority, with its special knowledge, regards the local need for a kiosk as sufficient to justify it in paying for a period, limited to five years, a rental of £4, equal to the minimum rental paid annually by a subscriber. I regret that I cannot see my way to reduce the sum or to spread it over a longer period, at any rate during the present heavy pressure of demand upon the Department's resources.