PRIVATE PHONES

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31585, 24 January 1968, Page 14

PRIVATE PHONES

96,000 In District At the end of 1967 there were 96,000 private telephone subscribers in the Canterbury engineering district, the regional engineer (Mr H. W. Wilkinson) said yesterday. Of these, 79,000 were within the metropolitan area of Christchurch. The whole district is between the Clarence and Rangitata rivers. About 470 people were waiting for service at the end of the year. Only 168 could not be given connections because of shortage of outside plant or exchange equipment. Mr Wilkinson said the situation was reasonable in view of the disastrous effects of the November snow storm which did more than $600,000 worth of damage. “We are still working on repairs and will be until about the middle of the year,” he said. Much of the work entailed replacing temporary with permanent installations which would not have to be renewed for many years. Some subscribers who had previously been on party lines had been put on to private lines. In the Methven district, one of the worst hit by the storm, cable jointing of new lines is still in progress. Subscribers there who have applied for private lines will get them as soon as this is done. Mr Wilkinson said that pressure building up in the north-west part of Christchurch would be eased when the Memorial Avenue exchange opened about next June.