§ Mr. FOOTasked the Postmaster-General the number of rural post offices in Cornwall where no telephone has yet been installed; and whether there is any prospect of telephones being installed at these rural post offices during the current financial year?
§ Mr. NEVILLE CHAMBERLAINFigures for individual counties are not available, but on the 31st of July last there were in the Plymouth district, which comprises Cornwall and a section of Devonshire, 263 rural post offices where no public telephone call office had been established. Of this number, 109 have telegraph facilities. There is little prospect of telephones being installed at many of these offices during the current financial year, but I am prepared to consider any specific proposals submitted to me, although I fear that in many parts of Cornwall the cost of providing call office facilities would be heavy and the receipts small.