§ 27. Captain W. Elliotasked the Postmaster-General how many subscribers' telephone lines were installed in the last 12 months; and how many people are still on the waiting list.
§ Mr. BennApproximately 751,000 new exchange connections were supplied in the 12 months ended 30th September last as compared with 615,000 in the previous 12 months. Excluding orders in hand or under inquiry, there were about 63,000 applications on the waiting list at that date.
§ Captain ElliotIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that while the task of 1260 catching up on this backlog is satisfactory as far as it goes, the telephone under the Conservatives became not a luxury but an every-day article? Will he, therefore, tell the House what new proposals he has to clear off the final backlog?
§ Mr. BennThis is largely a matter of capital investment, manufacturing, acquisition of sites, recruitment of skilled engineers and so on. It will be some time before this country has the telephone penetration which a modern technical society should have. Meanwhile, there are bound to be delays and, as the hon. Gentleman says, demand is now soaring. In the case of trunk traffic it is rising at a rate of 17 per cent. per annum compound interest.
§ Mr. SnowIs it not possible for his Department to provide some way of cutting off a telephone so that there is not telephone penetration at 3 o'clock in the morning?
§ Mr. BennI really think that it would be open to objection if the Postmaster-General decided at what hours people could make calls.