TRUNK CALLS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 114, 10 November 1934, Page 10

TRUNK CALLS

FLAT RATE SERVICE

I RESPONSE IN BRITAIN

BUSY NIGHTS ON LINES ' T— (From "Th« Post*" Repr«Mntativ«.) LONDON, October 5. At 7 o'clock on" the evening of day of this w^eck, "shilhng-all-the way» ' trunk telephone calls came, into operation. This unlimited service at a flat rate of Is for three minutes after 7 p.m. was inaugurated in order 'to make the telephone more popular. Prom that point of \iew it has been an unqualified success.; "\_ v / ' -I,1 ; -The Lord Mayor .of* London,-, by wir- v tue>of his^right as Admiral of the Port , of London, "broke" his flag on H.H. telegraph cableship Monarch, the fiist cableship ever to>be seen m the Pool of London. By so doing, homaugulated "Telephone"Week." -In every town throughout the United Kingdom, posters.were exhibited in shop windows inviting the public to "Get on the telephone" aad "Telephone, your order." Over a quarter, of a million such posters wero displayed. At the same tune throughout the United Kingdom, in approximately 200 towns, members of Parliament, Lord Mayors, Mayors, and other civic authorities took part in ceremonies in post offices. The shilling trunk calls, however, have caused something of a telephone crisis. Chaos has descended on the * ~. whole system the moment 7 o'clock ' strikes, and the cheap rate begins. It is reported, that calls put in just after seven have not come through.two and a half hours later. LINES INADEQUATE FOR BUSH. -The Postmaster-General, Sir Kmgsley Wood, said: "Every resource of the Post Office is being utilised to cope with the rush. We haye even borrowed private lines from a number of people to get the calls through, "The trouble lies with cables. .'WT* have not enough to the north at present. When we can gauge the lieW normal pressure we shall have to, decide how our cable system, is to be ex-" tended." / The number of calls on some of th« lines increased sevenfold. The Staff oa night duty was more than doubled. For those who are merely using the lines for friendly talk it does not,matter, but there are many business men who do long distance work in the evening. For them it means serious delays and the missing of food supply trams. These would naturally pay the old rates and, get their calls without delay. Possibly when the novelty of the ne\v system wears off the number of calls will sink .to a more normal'level. CALLS TO SCOTLAND.; London's main, exchanges 'handled 6000 calls on the first night between 7 o'clock and midnight, compared with 1700 normally.' The bulk of the long-distance callt were to 'and from Scotland/ l ' - ''We had approximately 400 calls to Aberdeen alone," an official said, "whereas usually the line is pretty quiet. "About 600 calls were put in to Glasgow, and about 400 to Edinburgh. The average number of night calls has hitherto been less than 100 to each, place." ' i If the cheap night demand continues, employment is likely to \>e treated for several thousand more operators in various trunk exchanges. CABLE EXTENBION SCHEMES. The Department is pressing on with important extension schemes which will provide much employment. A cable is being laid between Liverpool and Glasgow at a cost of more than £2,000,000, and is giving work directly to 1000 men, besides " some thousands of others engaged in the industries supplying material. ' < l ' This cable, which will be finished by the end of the year, will supply 7* extra lines between Liverpool,"' Manchester, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle, Dumfries, Glasgow, and other parts of the country. ** ' Next year a new cable will' be, in« stalled between Carlisle and Newewtle-on-Tyne, and another will be started from Li.vcrpooMo London, pro*idi»t * fresh link between London »ad tlUar gow. - i '