FREE CALL QUOTA

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 67, 16 September 1936, Page 20

FREE CALL QUOTA

FOR BRITISH TELEPHONES

Major Tryon, the Postmaster* General, in the House of Commons recently announced further substantial concessions to British telephone subscribers. The concessions, which come into force on October 1, are:— Private subscribers to be entitled to 50 penny local calls free each quarter, or their equivalent value in trunk calls. , Rentals to remain unchanged.

Reduction of 10s a year in rentals for business users.

Reduction of 2s 6d a quarter for residential lines where coin boxes are used.

Rental for additional lines reduced by 10s a year.

Private line rentals reduced according to distance (from January 1 next).

Major Tryon also stated that it was proposed to supplement the AngloFrench submarine cables by ultrashort wave radio channels across the Straits of Dover.

The reductions' in telephone charges will cost over £1,000,000 in the first .full year, and will bring the total. value or concessions made this year to £1,500,000.

The "50 free calls" concessions applies to quarterly subscribers. Monthly subscribers will be allowed Ifi free penny units a month. Where more than 50 calls are made the excess will be charged in the usual way. No unexpended balance of free units will be transferred to the next cjuartcr. In a large number of cases the effect of the new scheme will be that subscribers -will have to pay only -the rental of the instrument.