§ Mr. RAWLINSONasked the Postmaster-General under what statute the Post Office or the Treasury have power to demand the surcharge of £4 which recently has been imposed in respect of each new subscriber to the telephone and in respect of each new telephone line; and whether the charges both for the telephone and for the telegraph service are regulated by Parliament?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTHThe terms for the provision of telephone service at private premises are the subject of a contract with the person concerned and are not prescribed by Statute. The charges for the use of the trunk telephone lines and for call office service are laid down in the Statutory Telephone Regulations, 1915, and those for inland telegrams in the Post Office and Telegraph 2417W Act, 1915. If the proposals now being examined by a Select Committee of this House are adopted, the telephone surcharge will be abolished.