§ Mr. BECKERasked the Postmaster-General if it is still the practice of the Post Office telephone operators, or others, to listen-in to private conversations; do telephone operators or others, listen-in to all calls of certain subscribers; and, if so, why is this done?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe answer given to a similar question in April last year still holds good, namely, that listening-in is only resorted to at the request of, or by agreement with a subscriber when he requires evidence of the unauthorised use of his telephone.
§ Captain BRASSasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the considerable delay which now occurs when a toll call is demanded through a public telephone call office; whether this delay is due to the original exchange operator and the toll exchange operator both having to look up the charge to be made before the applicant is connected with the toll exchange; and whether he can see his way to have the present system altered so that toll calls can be made equally quickly through public call offices as through private members' instruments?
§ Sir JOYNSON-HICKSI assume that the question of my hon. and gallant Friend relates to calls made from unattended call offices, as where there is an attendant he has ready to hand a comprehensive charge list. Where there is no attendant, the caller is switched through at once to the toll exchange and 2195W the telephonist at that exchange ascertains the charge by telephone from the information deck. There are over 2,700 unattended call offices in the London Area and about 370 exchanges in the toll area. It is therefore out of the question for the telephonists to memorise the charges for toll calls from every call office. The treatment of a toll call from a call office unavoidably occupies more time than that of a subscriber's call, as with the latter the charging is done subsequently through the subscriber's account.