§ 14. Mr. Ridleyasked the Postmaster-General if he will change his policy whereby he refuses telephones to would-be subscribers if it entails erecting further telephone wires.
§ Mr. BevinsIt is certainly not Post Office policy to refuse telephones because they entail erecting further wires. But my limited resources must be used to the 1121 greatest advantage of would-be subscribers generally, and this means that the provision of service to individuals, when expensive new construction work is required, is sometimes delayed.
§ Mr. RidleyIs my right hon. Friend aware that his hon. Friend wrote to me about one of my constituents, saying that he could not have a telephone because it would entail erecting more wires, and that if his predecessors had taken that point of view nobody would have a telephone? Will he see that my constituent gets a telephone immediately?
§ Mr. BevinsWith respect to my hon. Friend, I think that he has ripped a phrase out of my hon. Friend's letter. My hon. Friend said that in this case the wiring would run to about 4,000 yards. May I say to my hon. Friend that the cost over and above the normal cost of providing a telephone would have been about £150. In spite of that, I have a good deal of sympathy with my hon. Friend and I will see what I can do.