F.—l.

The following table shows the number of telephone-stations in each engineering district on the 31st March, 1931 and 1932 respectively, and the percentage of increase in each case :—

The number of telephone stations (main and extension) connected with each of the fourteen principal exchanges on the 31st March, 1932, was: Auckland, 21,400; Wellington, 19,447; Christchurch, 12,744; Dunedin, 8,333; Wanganui, 3,616; Palmerston North, 3,308; Hamilton, 3,175; Invercargill, 2,845 ; Gisborne, 2,616 ; Hastings, 2,494 ; Timaru, 2,124 ; New Plymouth, 2,172 ; Masterton, 2,031 ; Nelson, 1,734. The number of party and rural lines on the 31st March, 1932, was 11,353, to which were connected 45,196 main stations —an increase of 96 and 225 respectively on the figures for the previous j^ear. 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, 1932 :—

AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE EXCHANGES. Existing Systems. The existing automatic telephone exchanges have given satisfactory service during the year, and no special comment is called for. Conversion to Automatic Working oe Hastings Telephone Exchange. On the 31st May a step-by-step automatic-telephone switching-system, comprising 2,400 subscribers' lines, was cut into service at Hastings. Owing to the partial destruction by earthquake of the old central-battery system at Hastings, the installation of the automatic plant was a matter of urgency and every effort was made to complete the work as early as possible, ihe Department s efforts m this direction enabled Hastings to be provided with a high-grade automatic telephone-exchange system some four months after the earthquake. In the meantime a temporary service was furnished by means of magneto switch-boards. Conversion to Automatic Working of Marton Telephone Exchange. The installation of the automatic telephone-exchange switching-apparatus at Marton was completed and the exchange converted to automatic working on the 26th July. The change-over was effected with a minimum of trouble, and no faults developed beyond those usually associated with an operation of this nature. The town of Marton now possesses an up-to-date and reliable automatic-telephone-exchange system comprising nine hundred subscribers' lines, and capable of providing nigngrade service for many years.

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Number of Telephone Stations on 31st March, tv <. ■ * 19 31. 1932. Engineering District. Percentage of Increase or Main Extension T , , Main Extension | ,„ , Decrease. Stations. Stations. x aL Stations. Stations, j lut,aj ' Auckland .. 41,750 7,459 49,209 40,967 7,626 48,593 | 1-3 (decrease.) i Wellington .. 52,147 10,358 62,505 52,173 11,058 63,231 1-2 (increase). Canterbury .. 20,272 4,531 24,803 19,860 4,585 24,445 1-4 (decrease). Otago .. 18,084 3,166 21,250 17,535 3,168 20,703 ' 2-6 (decrease). Totals .. 132,253 25,514 157,767 130,535 26,437 156,972 0-5 (decrease).

Class I Class II Class III Class IV Dominion Percentage of Exchanges. Exchanges. Exchanges. Exchanges. Percentages. Business stations .. • • 37 32 26 19 30 Residential stations .. ■ • 63 68 74 81 70 100 100 100 100 100 ' Individual-line stations .... 88 74 51 32 64 Party- and rural-line stations .. 12 26 49 68 36 100 100 100 100 100 I