§ Mr. FREEMANasked the Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to make the telephone and telegraph services more popular?
§ Mr. LEES-SMITHThe following are some of the steps which have been taken within the last two years to make the telephone and telegraph services more popular:
Telephones:
Extension of "free" radius from 1½ miles to 2 miles for installation rentals at provincial exchanges; and reduction to normal tariffs of rentals for circuits to small rural exchanges.
Reductions in charges for long-distance (inland) trunk calls, amounting in some cases to nearly 40 per cent.
Introduction of "personal" call service Extension of no-delay working on long-distance calls, and introduction of a system of one minute extensions beyond the minimum period of three minutes. Extension of international services including Anglo-Australian, Anglo-South American and services with liners at sea; and reduction of minimum charge from £9 to £6 for Anglo-American calls.
Opening of over 5,000 additional call offices in rural areas; and of 3,000 kiosk call offices.
Abolition of majority of guarantees formerly required in connection with rural call office extensions.
1508WProvision of many new exchanges, including 270 rural automatic exchanges, and extension of existing exchanges.
Telegraphs:
Extension of hours of telegraph business from 8 to 9 p.m. in towns not provided with continuous or almost continuous service.
Acceleration of treatment of telegrams by use of modern high-speed apparatus, belt conveyors and other mechanical devices and by increased provision of operating staff and delivery force.
Abolition of telegraph guarantees.
Numerous minor changes for the benefit of users of the service, including free use of trunk telephone lines at night for dictation and receipt of telegrams; uniform charge of two words only for a telephonic address; abolition of deposit and account-keeping fees in connection with credit accounts; abolition of fee for repetition of telegram at request of addressee; improved facilities for writing telegrams in Post Offices, etc.
Measures to popularise the telephone and telegraph services by means of publicity and canvassing.