§ Colonel PHILIPPSasked the Postmaster-General how many telephone lines there are at present between the Victoria exchange and the Hammersmith exchange; what is the average hourly number of calls on these lines during the busy hours of the day; and whether the question of increasing the number of lines between these exchanges is now under consideration?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThere are sixteen telephone circuits between the Victoria exchange and the Hammersmith exchange. The maximum number of calls per hour from Victoria to Hammersmith recorded during the busy hours of the day is seventy-three, while the corresponding number of calls from Hammersmith to Victoria is sixty-eight. The number of circuits between these exchanges is in excess of the requirements of the traffic, and consequently there is no question of increasing the number at present.