TELEPHONE DEMANDS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1921, Page 3

TELEPHONE DEMANDS

DEPARTMENT SWAMPED. ' AUCKLAND, August 17. 1 The increase in the use of telephone* ' in New Zealand was the subject, of a statement by the Postmaster-General j tV Hon. J. G. Coates. He stated J that two records had been established by his Department during tho past two years. In 1919 a, maximum number of 0000 telephones were instalfjed, but (During the hurt two years 16,000 or 8f)00 a- year, had been linked up. “As a matter of fact,” said the Minister, “this year the number will he well over 8000, as the waiting subscribers already exceed this total. Last year w ( > s|>ent approximately over '’£4oo,ooo out of the Telegraph vote. This includes, of course, the cost of telegraph and telephone apparatus. The difficulty is to get the 8000 people waiting for telephones connected up. Wp would want about £90.000 to meet all the demands on the service.” Mr Coates said the number of telephones in use and on is now approaching 1,000,000. The Department was working at full pressure, and was doing the maximum amount of development with the money at its disposal. Even’ particle of material in tho country is being utilised and improvising was being indulged in to a dangerous extent. In other words, every effort was being made to ineet an extraordinary demand. It was interesting to know that instead of decreasing, the applications for telephones were increasing at an alarming rate, notwithstanding the difficult period through which the Dominion was passing. “The plain fact of the matter,” said Mr Coates, “is that demands for the tele- * phone are swamping us, but in spite of the crowding the Department' has risen to the occasion.”