HIGHEST RECORDED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19136, 3 October 1936, Page 15

HIGHEST RECORDED

TELEPHONE SUBSCRIBERS FIGURES FOR DOMINION (Special lo the Herald*) WELLINGTON, this day. ‘•The highest- number of telephone subscribers ever recorded in the history of New Zealand was reached on September 30 with a total of 133,460.” stated the Postmaster-General, the Hon. F. Jones, in an interview to-day. “The highly satisfactory growth hi the telephone branch,” added the Minister, is another indication of the steady progress oi the Dominion out of the fast economic depression, the influence of which on this branch of the department s business was to cause the loss of 10,085 subscriber's, or approximately 8 per cent, the lowest Jotal, 122,470, being reached in July, 1933. “How quickly and completely the telephone branch of the department has recovered is proved by tlio fact that the highest point, of the pre-depression years; 132,855, in December, 1930, has now been parsed with 605 to spare. During the present year the monthly increase in subscribers has averaged 645, but September was distinctive, with over 802, the greatest monthly net increase on record.

iVBS the present progress is maintained, the Dominion,” concluded the Postmaster-General, “may yet soon improve upon the high position winch it holds in telephonic use in comparison with other countries in the world. New Zealand’s position at the present tune is fourth, with a density of over 10 telephones in use per 100 ot the population. It is headed only by the United States of America. Gfipadn, and Denmark.”