§ Mr. MORTONasked the Postmaster-General when the new scale of charges for the use of the telephone will be announced?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI regret that I am unable to fix a precise date. It is necessary to make very careful inquiry into the costs of the service under Post Office conditions in order to arrive at a solid basis for constructing a tariff of telephone charges. A mistake might have disastrous effects on the finances, and therefore on the future progress and efficiency of the telephone system. The matter is rendered the more difficult by the fact that the conditions of the service, owing to the recent transfer, are in many respects still hardly normal. The inquiry is actively proceeding.