HC Deb 05 November 1947 vol 443 c211W
82. Mr. Skinnard

asked the Postmaster-General in view of the large number of applications for telephone facilities and the difficulty of satisfying the demand, what steps he has taken to popularise party lines; and what response there has been to the appeal to present subscribers to share existing lines.

Mr. Wilfred Paling

Two-party line service is now being offered in suitable cases where we are not able to provide exclusive lines and the number of party-line subscribers has risen from 8,000 to 36,000 in the past 12 months. Many of these are subscribers who have agreed to share their existing lines, but the exact number cannot be stated without detailed inquiry.