Captain O'NEILLasked the Postmaster-General whether a telephone service is established in agricultural districts where at least five farmers signify their willingness to subscribe: whether this arrangement applies to Ireland; whether he is aware that Rathkenny, county Antrim, where there is a large co-operative creamery, a railway station, and the works of an iron ore company, is four miles from the nearest telegraph office at Brough-shane; and, as the telephone is much desired by the creamery and others in the district, will he arrange for the establishment of such a service at an early date?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe hon. Member is under a misapprehension in supposing that a rural telephone party-line can be supplied in any district where five subscribers are willing to rent telephones. The arrangement recently made is to provide party-lines in connection with existing Post Office Exchanges, when for each line there is an average of three subscribers per mile of the route length from the Exchange and a minimum of five subscribers. It is, of course, necessary that the relative positions of the premises of each group of subscribers should permit them to be conveniently served by the same line. As Rathkenny is about five miles from the nearest Post Office Exchange at Ballymena a party-line to that exchange224W could not be provided for five subscribers, but I am inquiring whether any other arrangement is possible.