F.-l

35

In addition to the stations shown in the preceding table there were 4,329 stations connected by private telephone lines with departmental toll stations, and 889 stations connected with nondepartmental rural exchanges, making a grand total of 137,307 telephone-stations on the 31st March, 1927. Of the new connections made during the year, 3,685 were with Class I exchanges, 2,060 with Class II exchanges, 2,124 with Class 111 exchanges, and 2,724 with Class IY (country) exchanges. The waiting-list at these exchanges now stands at 1,443 ; 201; 207 ; and 390 respectively : total 2,241, compared with 2,193 on the 31st March, 1926. The waiting-list for Class IV exchanges includes 53 applicants for connections at telephone exchanges authorized but not yet opened. The following table shows the number of telephone-stations in each engineering district on the 31st March, 1926 and 1927, respectively, and the percentage of increase in each case : —

The number of subscribers' stations (main and extension) connected with each of the fourteen principal exchanges on the 31st March, 1927, was —Wellington, 15,997 ; Auckland, 15,957 ; Christchurch, 10,290 ; Bunedin, 7,390 ; Wanganui, 3,506 ; Palmerston North, 2,695 ; Hamilton, 2,666 ; G-isborne, 2,583 ; Invercargill, 2,512 ; Napier, 2,503 ; Hastings, 2,369 ; Timaru, 1,883 ; Masterton, 1,860 ; New Plymouth, 1,705. _ The number of party and rural lines on the 31st March, 1927, was 9,152, to which were connected 35,347 main stations—an increase of 321 and 1,607 respectively on the figures for the previous year. The following table shows, for each class of exchange, the respective percentages of business and residential stations, also the respective percentages of individual- and party-line stations, on the 31st. March, 1927 :—

The length in miles of the various items of telephone-exchange plant in existence on the 31st March, 1926, and 1927, respectively, was as follows :—

Number of Stations on 31st March, „ . . t 1926. j . 1927. Engineering District. p eJ j ; centagb Main Extension . , Main j Extension m„, i T Stations. Stations. 0 a ' Stations, j Stations, j a ' ncrease. Auckland .. 31,528 4,668 36,196 33,271 5,073 38,344 5-9 Wellington .. 44,825 8,003 52,828 47,252 8,627 55,879 5-7 Canterbury .. .. 16,230 3,399 19,629 16,770 3,545 20,315 3-5 Otago .. 14,275 2,444 16,719 15,050 2,501 17,551 5-0 Totals 106,858 18,514 125,372 112,343 19,746 132,089 5*3

p , ! Class I Class II Class III j C lass IV Dominion Percentage o Exchanges. Exchanges, j Exchanges. Exchanges. Percentages. . Business stations .... 42 34 29 24 33 Residential stations .. .. 58 66 71 76 67 100 100 100 100 100 Individual-line stations .. ■. 90 74 56 41 68 Party- and rural-line stations .. 10 26 44 59 32 100 100 100 100 100

Cable. Wire. j Pole-line. Under- ... In Under- In Aerial „ . . . I Under all ground. Aenal " ground Cable. Cable. U P en AenaL | Headings. In existence on 31st 11,057 722 662 247,279 76,478 78,676 402,433 March, 1926 Erected during year .. 948 106 62 41,739 5 ,676 8,666 56 ,081 Dismantled during year 93 8 89 3,687 10,802 3,772 18,261 In existence on 31st 11,912 820 635 285,331 71,351 83,571* 440,253 March, 1927 * Includes 717 miles of earth-working circuit.