§ Mr. HUNTasked the Postmaster-General whether he can establish a public telephone call office at Claverley, near Wolverhampton, in view of its service to the agriculturists in the district?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe establishment of a Call office at Claverley is dependent upon a scheme which is under consideration for opening exchanges at Trysull as well as Claverley. Some additional support is necessary, and efforts are being made to obtain it. I regret that the expense of providing a call office only at Claverley connected with the Wolverhampton exchange system would be much greater than the receipts would justify.
§ Colonel RAWSONasked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the delay in installing the telephone service at Blindley Heath, in Surrey; seeing that this was first applied for in 1906 and again on 1st May, 1911, and signed by fourteen people anxious to have the telephone, and in August, 1913, a letter was received from the General Post Office saying that a service would be installed as soon as a suitable place was found, but nothing has so far been done although the local postmaster is quite willing to have the exchange at his office, and it appears to be suitable, is there any reason for this delay, and when is the service likely to be installed?
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§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe delay in connection with the provision of a telephone service at Blindley Heath has been due to a difficulty in finding premises in a sufficiently convenient position for the exchange. The local post office is not situated centrally for serving the prospective subscribers, and negotiations which were undertaken for the installation of the exchange elsewhere have fallen through. Fresh plans have now to be made, but the matter is being expedited as much as possible.