CATCHING UP ON TELEPHONE ARREARS

Chronicle (Levin), 5 October 1946, Page 5

CATCHING UP ON TELEPHONE ARREARS

-Press Association

By Telegrcivh-

WELLINGTON, Oct. 4. Ifou. F. .7 ones, replying 111 Parliament to niatter.s raised when the voto for the i'ost Oftice account was being discussed, said wartime restrictiuns of liew teleplione exchange couneetions had been liftcd at all exchanges wliere switching units and cable pairs were available. Tlie position in maimai excliange areas was, witli few exccptions, satisfactury and waitiug lists were being progressively liquidated. Lack of labour and transjiort was tlie limiting factor in eonie areas and wliile applications requiring comparativelv little construclion work were likelv to be satisfied at an early date, it miglit. be some timo before the lag in the c.onstruetion of tong rural lines would l>e overtaken. As an indication of the progress that had been made in tlie installation of new connections, 110 fewer than 7000 new subscribers had been conneeted since April 1. There were approximately 27,000 unsatisfied applications on hand and appvoximately 20,000 of these were for service at automatic exchanges wliere switching equipment f was badly cougested. Interim relief y had been provided by installing nianual equipment. Despite the difticulties facing the department, nearlv 60,000 new connections were installed between 1939 and 1946. New Zealand, witli .15.12 telephones per hundred of population, ranked third "111 the world for telephono dens.ity. The. Minister said the rotarv type of automatic exchanges at Auckland, Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Masterton, Oamaru, Palmerston Nortli, Wellington and Lower Ilutt, were loaded to capacitv and full relief could be afforded only by installing additional switching equipment plans for which had been finalised. Orders totalling £1,500,000 had been placed for this new equipment and two engineers from England wero at present in New Zealand conferring on the best wav Great Britain could provide additional equipment in the quickest possible time.