SLOT TELEPHONES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1665, 4 February 1913, Page 9

SLOT TELEPHONES.

: ';-.,': STATEMENT BY MR. ELL. I (By Telegraph.—l'reM Association.) . f Christchurch, February 3. Mr. Ell,.M.P.,.replying to a statement by the Postmaster-General with reference to votes for telephone - extensions, said he ■noticed that Mr. Rhodes referred to votes for "telephone extensions .in new districts." There was another; item on the Estimates,- however, .namely, "New telephone exchange . subscribers.' Ihe farst votowas for new "extensions, and that provision :was made 'mainly the purpose of providing telephone extensions in country districts, with .especial reference; to back-blocks. That was admitted •: by • Mr. Rhodes," who, told o deputation on January 8 that "if he were to cease extending , telephones for the back-blocks he would grant:applications."i. That-was for;.;slot telephones.. As the speaker, had already pointed out during: 1911-12, ''< Sir Joseph Ward'had 420,000' voted for "telephone extensions in new districts." Thc'Estimates ; prepared during Mr.' Ell's administration provided for 425,000, ond Mr. Rhodes Jisk-.j ed for an ihcreasE): of 425,000, making 430,000 niore than for 191U2. That was '450,000 'for, 1912-13/ as against;42o,ooo for I 1911-12. It Avas an .increase m Jhe vote i of more than 100'per-cent. The Estimates! for 1912-13. provided: for 4110,000,' against 4105,000 Jfor; 1911-12,' and against an expenditure of 490,000 for last year, but,Mr/ Rhodes appears to have overlooked ■ the fact .that, the Applications ; for slot telephones were for sites, within districts alcovered. with a network - of' tele-, phone wire's, so thnt ; ,the Department: was: not,called' upon' to provide for poles and wires, or'if it was, it would be only to a ; very -small .'extent, as the sites selected were all within very short- distances of-'existing telephone lines. ; : ; Applicants for slot mftchines.were in almost the same position r as-applicants for private telephones, but each slot maohine wns'pro-! viding three and more times more revenue than received from pritnte telephones in the same position.. The capital outlay was, in a telephone cabinet, a few pounds required for installing gas, I and much. less wnero; electric light was used, and the telephone, That practically covered the 1 ' immediate capital i outlay the Department hiid to provide. It could nil be provided for '.out of the 41i0/od6 voted for new telephone' exchange subscribers. He.' .'hail .been to, eomß trouble to j discovered what extent Christchurch <lisf trict wa9 : providekl with:aerial, cables for conlaihihg.wire9, ( for telephones.,- He ~was not in a position' to say how many sparewires fthero. were :'ln.-.'those, cables., or .if there were any ;',but ho knew that if it was the'policy m the Department to al-! ways erect tables' of that, would nrovidft ■■■ ft nhm^i^^RairOi.Wl'^-s^Jt' ■'vMfr be.readily understood that if; would nevdr dd -for: the Department to run, a. ■aw pair pf .wires., right,from the:exohan'gd.to each, of;.'say >- 'half ,a-'do^n-'hew. '.' subscribers.' Hehca the polloy of which Mr. Rhodes was aware of'.running cables out to,those districts from which wires weredistributed to .different residences. If there w'ere spare wires; surely it' would bo' profitable to tho Department to have them reveniie-producing.instead;of lying idle in cable, Kiprdsenting' % so, much, dead camtal...Somo months' ago he wrote to the •MiiiisUr, suggesting that heshould mnko inijiiiries .whether there were any dead. wires on\the poles.. He ventured an opinion that the Minister shdnld ask for a return as to ,thc .nivmber of dead wires.lying idle' throughout, New Zealand, and the nnmber of spare wires in the cable. If the- Minister 1 , did that he would probably fuiil ■ that there was a large quantity of dead .capital invested.' r Dnring his. few ninths of office he' felt very, strongly that tho Department wns not/extending, tho use of the slot' telephones in the 1 w"ay' it should, have; extended themj haying'.. regard;' to. their usefulnesstd; people who could ;»ot : afford 'the luxury ,of private teleohones, and also to thb fact that our slot telephones were paying "well,. being large earners of revenue..;"..-■'■. V?..,'". ,-•>■ , ■-, '