TELEPHONE SUPPLIES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 228, 25 August 1945, Page 5

TELEPHONE SUPPLIES

POSITION STILL DIFFICULT.

(Press Assn.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 25 While the supply of material for telephone connections had been slightly eased, there was still little immediate prospect of connecting any large number of waiting applicants, said the Acting-Postmaster-General (Mr Jones) yesterday. Not oVly was there insufficient material for carrying out line construction work, but the many months' restoration work following the recent severe snowstorm in Canterbury would take up the time of many linesmen. Priority would be given to those whose business was high in the order of essentiality, but even so in certain towns not even these could be given .service. A problem more serious, however, was the lack of switching equipment in automatic exchanges, particularly in the larger towns. At Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and Palmcrston North, to mention only the larger exchanges affected, the automatic equipment was loaded almost to its maximum capacity, and no worthwhile relief could be afforded until new equipment was manufactured abroad and installed. "With a view to attaining a more equitable rationing of new connections," said the Minister, "it has been decided that until conditions return to normal a residential subscriber on moving away from an address will not be permitted to transfer his telephone connection to the incoming tenant or to anyone else. Switching units that become available will be allocated to I the next most deserving applicant -on the waiting list."