§ 4. Mr. Tilneyasked the Postmaster-General what steps the Post Office has taken to make available to the public a loud-speaker equipment for the telephone to enable several people to carry on a single telephone conversation.
§ The Postmaster-General (Mr. Reginald Bevins)I am glad to say that I hope to have loud-speaking telephones on the market later this year. I am not yet in a position to announce all the details, but will do so as soon as possible.
§ Mr. TilneyMany telephone subscribers, who are tired of being little more than telephone rests for about half the conversation, will be delighted to hear what my right hon. Friend says. May I ask whether the equipment will be sold at a reasonably cheap price?
§ Mr. BevinsYes; there will be three types of equipment, some simple and some rather less simple. My present information is that the rentals will range from about £8 to £20 a year.
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsMay I ask why it has taken all these years to produce this equipment?
§ Mr. BevinsIt has involved a lot of complicated research, but we are now at the end of the road and we shall have them on the market later this year.
§ Captain PilkingtonIs my right hon. Friend aware that this is an appalling suggestion and that telephone conversations last quite long enough as it is?
§ Mr. BevinsThere is no suggestion that telephone conversations should last longer—
§ Captain PilkingtonThey will.
§ Mr. Bevins—but that people ought to be able to listen to telephone conversations without holding the instrument.