TELEPHONES.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18368, 29 April 1925, Page 12

TELEPHONES.

AUSTRALIAN SERVICE.

QUESTION OF HIGHER CHARGES.

(F5021 OU* OWX CORMSPONMXT.)

SYDNEY, April 24.

The telephone scrvico of Australia is not tho best in the world. Users proclaim this on all sides, and some, to the accompaniment of curses, describe it as tho worst. The most fair-minded admit that there is room for improvement, and even tho more candid of the Postmaster-General's officials occasionally and regretfully concur in this view. They lay the blame on the impossibility of Securing materials during tho war, nnrt declare that the post-war period has been wholly consumed in making up arrears of improvements. There has certainly been improvement in .some quarters, notably in tho trunk lino system and the installation of automatic exchanges in the cities. The "automatics" typify hope for the future rather than good service for the present, for with the installation but partially completed, the task of raising numbers is often more difficult than if tho exchanges were all manually operated. Visitors from the United States are usually very frank in their condemnation. In their country, the service is in tho hands of private enterprise, and delay in connecting with a desired number is tho exception and not the rule.- If a .wrong number is given, the exchange operator is profuse in apology. In Australia, the lack of courtesy when such a thing happens is a by-word. Business men offer particularly strong criticism of our service, asserting that commercial efficiency is impaired by the present faulty service. Bccently telephone subscribers were given a shock by hints apparently emanating from official quarters, that charges were shortly to be increased. Reasons for this increase were given in the decreasing profit from the telephono branch of the PostmasterGeneral's Department. In 1922-23, the profit was £180,000; in 1823-24, £51,000. A further drop was stated by the secretary to the Postmaster-General to be Jikoly this year, but the PostmasterGoncrol himself has now assured the public' that charges will not be increased, as the decrease in this year's profits is not likely to warrant the extra, charge. Apparently, higher charges would please officials and make thoir task of balancing . the' ledger lighter, but evidently the Parliamentary head thinks , them' inexpedient in view of not far distant. elections.

There is widespread feeling that the service, as in extremely important part of the system.' of communications, should be as free from financial restrictions as possible, and that every effort should be.mado to keep the cost to subscribers to a minimum. Immediately the hints of higher charges were launched, there were country-wide protests from all sections of the community, especially from tho business people. These prompt answers to the official feelers no doubt were the convincing factor in the PostmasterGeneral's decision to keep charges at their present level. Whether the desired increases were logical Or not would not have been considered by subscribers when the telephone service is in such a condition that raising numbers is a spendthrift of time and temper.