§ Mr. Henderson Stewartasked the Postmaster-General what was the number of new telephones installed in Great Britain during the years 1930 to 1936, inclusive; what was the total sum spent in telephone development in that period; and how the provision. Of telephones in this country compares with that in other countries?
§ Major TryonThe net increase in telephone stations in this country, that is the total number of new stations less the number of stations given up, during the years referred to by my hon. Friend was as follows: In 1930, 109,267; in 1931, 82,515; in 1932, 65,577; in 1933, 78,927; in 1934, 139,200; in 1935, 183,075; and in 1936, 238,442.
During these seven years, some £52,000,000 has been expended on the provision of new telephone plant. In addition, it is estimated that approximately one-half of the expenditure of about £112,000,000 on Post Office buildings during the same period, was attributable to telephone requirements. According to the latest available figures (those for 1935) the number of telephones per hundred of the population in the ten countries in which the service is most highly developed is as follows:
52WIn the United States 13.7; in Canada, 11.1; in Denmark, 10.6; in New Zealand, 10.6; in Sweden, 10.3; in Switzerland, 9.6; in Australia, 8.1; in Norway, 7.0; in Great Britain, 5.5; and in Germany, 4.9. France has a telephone development of 3.4 per cent. The telephone density in this country at the present time is 6.0 per cent.