PHONES BEAT TELEGRAPH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 28 August 1929, Page 5

PHONES BEAT TELEGRAPH.

TEN MILLION CALLS. (By Telegraph—Special to the Star.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 28. Whilst automatic telephone equipment comprises nearly half the total of New Zealand s telephones, the revenue from the telephone side of the postal business has developed with equal rapidity and now exceeds that ol telegraphs, according to the Post-master-General's report. The outstanding feature ol’ the telephone business during the year was the increased use of the telephone for toll purposes, the total number of calls being over ten million, representing an increase on the previous year’s traffic of approximately 10 per cent. The toll revenue amounted to £442,890, an increase of over II per cent. \\ liilst this greater use of the toll lines was stimulated to some extent by the greater commercial activity and by a more extensive use of the telephone in the social life of the community, probably the largest contributing factors were the increased 1 speed of the service, improved quality of speech, and the greatly extended range of service that has been provided during recent years. The toll revenue for the year exceeded the revenue derived from tho telegraph, the relative figures being: Toll, £442,896; telegrams, £404,560. Ten years ago the corresponding figures were: Tolls, £169,550; telegrams, £316,099.