THE TELEPHONE SERVICE

Otago Witness, Issue 3519, 23 August 1921, Page 53

THE TELEPHONE SERVICE

INSTRUMENTS IN USE. AN ENORMOUS INCREASE. AUCKLAND, August 15. The increase in the uso of telephones in New Zealand was the subject of a statement by the l’ost master-general (the Hon. J. G. Coates), who stated that two records had been established by his department during the past two years. Mr Coates said that in 1919 a maximum number of 6300 telephones were installed, but during the last, two years 16,000, or 8000 a year, had been linked up. “As a matter of fact,” said the Minister, “this year the number will be well over 8000, as the waiting subscribers already exceed this total. Last year we spent approximately over £400,000 out of the telegraph vote; this includes, of course, tlie cost of telegraph and telephone apparatus. The difficulty is to get the 8000 people waiting for telephones connected up. We would want about £900,000 to meet all the demands on the service.” Mr Coates said that the number of telephones in use and on order is now approaching 1,000,000. The department was working at full pressure, and was doing the maximum amount of development with the money at its disposal. Every particle of material in the country is being utilised, and improvising was being indulged in to a dangerous extent. In other words, every effort was being made to meet an extraordinary demand. It was interesting tc know thjjj, instead of decreasing-, the applications for telephones were increasing at an alarming rate, notwithstanding the difficult period through which the dominion was passing. “The plain fact, ol the matter,” said Mr Coates, “is that mands for telephones are swamping- us but in spite of the crowding the depart inent has risen to the occasion.”