’Phone Calls In Britain Cheaper

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28435, 15 November 1957, Page 10

’Phone Calls In Britain Cheaper

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright > LONDON, November 13.

Telephone charges in Britainraised in July—will be drastically slashed on January 1, the Post-master-General (Mr Ernest Marples) announced in the House of Commons today. ‘‘Most calls now.costing 6d, 9d. or Is, will be reduced to 3d,” he said. “A majority of the charges for trunk calls will also be reduced.” The area covered by a 3d call will jump from about 80 square miles to 900 square miles. Mr Marples said the the changes were the “most sweeping and radical reforms” since 1912 and would pave the way for full automation in the telephone service. The Government has been under 1 fire for raising the rates in July! from 2Jd to 3d for a call from private telephones. Many subscribers had their telephones taken out after the increase. Mr Marples said the new simplified charges would enable 150 m more calls a year to be dialled. Mr Marples said that the changes would apply to call boxes also. The reduction had been brought about by the better use of existing machinery, he said. He had tried to remove administrative restrictive practices. The cost of a call from a public' telephone box would stay at 4d. I a Government White Paper published today said, but the 4d would cover calls for considerably longer distances.