§ Mr. Gammansasked the Postmaster-General the surplus or deficit in the telephone service for each year from 1932 up to the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Wilfred PalingThe surpluses of income over expenditure (after charging interest on capital) shown by the Post Office Telephone Commercial Accounts for the eight years to 31st March, 1940, are:
102W
£ 1932–33 … … 409,521 1933–34 … … 1,392,929 1934–35 … … 1,684,983 1935–36 … … 2,126,847 1936–37 … … 1,472,370 1937–38 … … 429,460 1938–39 … … 269,639 1939–40 … … 995,156 The preparation and presentation of commercial accounts was suspended during the war and will only be resumed with the accounts for 1947–48 but approximate and unaudited accounts on a simplified basis have been compiled for Departmental use. The surpluses (in round figures) shown by these accounts are as follow:
£ 1940–41 … … 3,800,000 1941–42 … … 8,000,000 1942–43 … … 12,500,000 1943–44 … … 18,800,000 1944–45 … … 23,000,000 1945–46 … … 20,600,000 1946–47 … … 14,000,000 (provisional)