HUTT TELEPHONES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 125, 29 May 1930, Page 10

HUTT TELEPHONES

A LONG BUSINESS

MINISTER AND CHARGES

AUCKLAND BATES

Though it is a yecir since tenders were called by the Post and Telegraph Department for equipment for an automatic telephone exchange for tho Hutt Valley, and seven months since a site for the building, at tho corner of Laing's road and Knight's road, was acquired, the now service still appears to be a considerable way ahead. The Lower Hutt business men, through their Chamber of Commerce, consider that it is time soms more definite understanding was given them, and propose to approach the Petono" chamber to suggest ■joint action to endeavour to speed the business up. Beeognising that private telephone subscribers have also an interest in tho improvement of telephone facilities the business subscribers propose also to seek the co-operation of the Borough Councils of Lower Hutt and Petone in their further representations to the Government. HANDICAP OF DUAL SYSTEM. Though for a manually operated- system the Hutt Valley telephones give good service and little complaint can be made as to the promptness with which the exchange attends to calls, there is real ground for complaint as to the charges which are made for ValleyWellington lines —£40 for a business line to town is undeniably ste^p. Moreover, the business man who, to keep in touch with city affairs, instals a city telephone is setting himself a serious handicap. He can attend to local business, and local customers can call him up only through "toll." Toll charges may not deter him from ringing up local customers, but his customers a-ro in a great many cases effectively deterred from calling him, not only on account of the expense (even if it is only fourpence) but also because of the inconvenience and annoyance of having to make a toll call to an office two streets away. Often, again, the name of the wanted person is missed between two lists. The introduction of a new dual system will merely carry on the real disabilities existing between city subscribers and local subscribers. While Lower Hutt and Petone were practically separate from tho city as regarded interests this was not of so much moment, but to-day their interests are closely amalgamated, even though the boroughs are not. Moreover, Nmany thousand Valley residents are city workers with many rings to put through to their homes if the facilities were full enough to encourage, instead of to discourage, that class of business. MINISTER STATES CHARGES. Until a few months ago the Depart-, ment declined to give the people of the Hutt Valley any indication as to the rates which would be charged when tho new system was- at last inaugurated, nor were the subscribers given much more information than that a dual service would be instituted, one service for the Valley only, another for City and Valley, the second at a higher annual rate. The PostmasterGeneral (Sir Joseph Ward), in reply to a statement made by the president of the Hutt Chamber of Commerce, however, in December made a statement regarding these points, and particularly regarding charges. Ho said: "It is intended to provido for the establishment ox' a dnal exchange system of the automatic typo, under which subscribers will be able to secuie service in accordance with their individual requirements, either (a) local service to all subscribers in the Lower Hutt area, or (b) general inter-eommunieation with Wellington subscribers, in addition to Lower Hutt local subscribers. For service of type (a), the rentals will remain as at present with a continuance of toll charges for communications to Wellington and elsewhere; while for type (b) the rentals will be those applicable to the Wellington base-rate area, plus a special loading rate, on the same basis as is applied to subscribers to the Auckland exchange who are resident in Oneliunga or Takapuna.

"It is not possible at this stage to state definitely what loading-rate will require to be applied. However, no fear need be entertained that the rate will be designed-to do other than provide a reasonable return on the outlay involved. The actual figure must necessarily be dependent to a great extent on the cost of .'the apparatus, .and cannot be determined until the tender prices are known." '. ONEHUNGA AND TAKAPUNA CHARGES. The Onchunga and Takapuna charges referred to by Sir Joseph Ward are .£8 10s per annum for private telephones and for business telephones £15 per annum (the standard city rates), plus £1 for the additional mileage, making the actual rates £9 10s and £16. Subscribers' in both these boroughs—distinct from the city—are connected directly with the Auckland City exchange, and therefore pay no toll charges when making calls to the city area or other Auckland suburbs. THE LOADING BATE. The charges to be made to the Hutt Valley subscribers will depend, therefore, upon the loading rato determined by the Department and by the tender price. Presumably as the Hutt Valley exchange will be approximately the same distance from Wellington as Onehunga from the Auckland exchange, the loading rate, having regard to i length of cable, will be the same. There is, however, an essential point in this regard, in that under a dual system such as is apparently determined upon by the Department for the Hutt Valley, B rate subscribers will not obtain the same service as is enjoyed under the Oneliunga, Takapuna, and Auckland single system. This refers more particularly to business connections, for, as remarked above, much business is lost through a strong objection on the part of many people to put a toll call through. Subscribers paying the higher (B) rato will be able to call up purely Hutt Valley (A) subscribers, but A subscribers will be able to call B subscribers only by paying toll charges. Obviously a lesser service will be given them under the Auckland arrangement, and upon this ground there is argument for a lower loading rate than the additional charge of £1 made to Onehunga and Takapuna subscribers. ' [ A second point in regard to the loading rate must be noted. This rate will be imposed to recompense the Department for the additional mileage expenses (in length of trunk line, special equipment, etc.) and spread over a large number of subscribers would lie a small amount only per subscriber. Divided among but a section of subscribers this set overhead cost would naturally be very much heavier. Were all Hutt Valley telephones connected to the city exchange the loading rate would be low; under a dual service it must be high. The loss of service, convenience, and efficiency under the dual system may be reckoned up in & a, d, by; the bnsi-

Ness-man, and though the private subscriber could not so estimate the service ho would miss he would be unquestionably at a disadvantage as compared with the subscribfir on a single system, for the telephone to-day plays a very big part in one's social affairs. The two Chambers of Commerce hive made their views quite, clear regarding the dual system; they maintain that it can offer no more than partial efficiency and they definitely do not want it. Private subscribers havo never been asked to express their views and have not, in fact, been given sufficient information by the Department to enable them to say whether they would prefer tho prosent partially effective system at present rates or a full Valley and city service at rates similar to those charged suburban subscribers at Auckland. It is improbable that a dual system will bo acceptable to Hutt Valley people for ' all time, but fortunately, from what can be gathered, a changeover from dual to single service will entail comparatively small expense in actual exchange equipment, as A and B subscribers will work through the same types of exchange units. If that is so, the main additional expense which would be incurred by tho Department in instituting a general Wellington and Valley service would be in providing for greater trunk line capacity between the Hutt and Wellington ex-' changes. '