TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26915, 29 October 1948, Page 6

TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT

AVAILABILITY OF SUPPLIES POSTMASTER-GENERAL’S COMMENT P.A. WELLINGTON, Oct 28. The recent statement in Auckland by Sir Louis Beale, vice-president ot the International Standard Electric Corporation, about full telephone equipment, including exchange gear being manufactured in quantity now for export was reassuring but called for some comment, said the Post-master-general Mr Hackett, to-night. The Post Office had for some time had outstanding orders in Britain for telephone equipment to the value of just over £3,000,000, and until the present time there had been no improvement in the supplies available to New Zealand. The equipment now coming to hand had been on order for many years. In April, 1946, orders for telephones and exchange equipment valued at £700,000 were outstanding. By September, 1948, further orders for £3,200,000 worth were placed, but deliveries totalled only about £900,000. Before the end qf this year additional orders totalling £600,000 were to be placed. Mr Hackett said that other factors such as the availability of cable and telephone poles affected the position, but in the last 12 months nearly 18,000 new telephone connections were made. This was an all-time record and was achieved in the face of great difficulties. From 1939 to the present time 112,000 new connections were made There were 41 per cent, more telephones installed in New Zealand today than in 1939. The demand for telephones to-day was phenomenal, and New Zealand’s demand was one of the world’s highest. Mr Hackett said that everything possible was being done for those awaiting telephones, but the supply difficulties could not be overcome in a short time.