§ 14. Mr. Geoffrey Cooperasked the Assistant Postmaster-General when he now anticipates being able to reintroduce the cheap rate for trunk calls for the whole of the night period, instead of for the present period of from 6.30 to 9.30 p.m. on private telephones, and 5.30 to 9.30 p.m. in public call-boxes.
§ Mr. BurkeConditions in the telephone service at present preclude an extension of the cheap rate period for trunk calls, and I regret that I am unable to say when such an extension is likely to be practicable.
§ Mr. CooperWill my hon. Friend consider the possibility of extending the present hours as an earnest of his intention to reintroduce the full service as soon as circumstances permit, as I understand that it was such a popular service before the war?
§ Mr. BurkeWhen it started it was from seven o'clock and all through the night. We could not continue it all through the night, and so we fixed the time at 5.30. I think that the extra one and a half hours at the beginning was very much appreciated.
§ Mr. CooperCould my hon. Friend consider extending it for at least an hour at night?
§ Lieut.-Commander Gurney BraithwaiteIf the difficulty is due to staff shortage, as in the case of the toll exchanges, is it not because the salaries paid by the Post Office to telephone operators compare so unfavourably with those paid to private switchboard operators?
§ Mr. BurkeNo, Sir, I think it is due to the fact that our wartime staff has left us and our new staff is not fully experienced.