PUBLIC TELEPHONES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10753, 26 April 1913, Page 7

PUBLIC TELEPHONES.

MR ELL'S IMPRESSIONS OF THE SOUTH.

Recently Mr H. G. Ell, M.P., made a visit to the south, going as far as Invercargill. Although tho trip was made primarily for pleasure, he took advantage of the opportunities presented to inquire into matters connected with the Postal Department. • Speaking to a reporter, Mr Ell said that he had been unable to cover the ground during his term of office, although he had fully intended doing so. In Timaru he found that the place had not a single public telephone available after 8 p.m., and none on Sundays, for tho bureau Mas shut when the post office was not open for business. A slot telephone had been placed in the railway station, but it was inside the building. It, too, was not available after 8 p.ip. or on Sundays. He had suggested that it should be placed outside the building, in a position similar to that at the Cliristchurch station, and that course had been adopted. From now on the telephone would be there for the use of both the traveling and residential population. He had also suggested tho installation of telephones in the suburbs, and a deputation from the Borough Council had waited on the chief postmaster and asked for six. He had accompanied the Mayor's party to the business part of the town, and. it had been decided to ask for a slot telephone in Stafford Street, near the Arcade. In Dunedin, Mr Ell said, the slot telephone was in the stationery stall, which meant that when the stall was closed the telephone was not available. There was only one telephone available in the heart of the city at all hours, and that was in the Post Office building. The one in the vestibule of the Telegraph Office was only open during office hours. It was a poor business proposition to leave a large city such as Dunedin with only one public telephone open continuously. No provision had been provided for the suburban districts. Mornington, with a 1 population of 5000, had no telephone available after o p.m. or on Sundays, tho only public instrument being in the post, office, which was closed for an hour at midday, at 5 p.m. daily and all day on Sunday. Tlio toll charged was 6d, which was absurdly high for the nse of a telephone within one mile and a half of the city. In Invercargill he had found a similar state of affairs. There was not a single public telephone available after 8 p.m. or on Sundays. The population was between 15,000 and 16,000, and it appeared to him to be evidence of gross neglect on the part of the Department to have such a large town without proper telephone facilities. He would suggest that telephones should be provided at intervals, so that suburban residents should have the benefits of direct telephonic communication. The Hon R. H. Rhodes had stated, Mr Ell added, that the Dunedin public telephone was earning more than any in the dominion. He doubted that, but assuming it to be correct it should be borne in mind that tho telephone mentioned had an absolute monopoly on Sundays and during those hours when the Telegraph Office was not open. It was the only bureau for -10,000 people for quite a considerable portion of the twenty-four hours. In Cliristchurch, for the week ended April 23, the slot telephone in Cathedral Square had earned £2 19s, that in tho letter-box lobby £2 12s and Clock Tower £1 19s 4d* a, total of £7 10s 4d for tho week. In the previous week the earnings were £7 3s 4d, a gross total of £l4 13s 8d for a fortnight. Tho earnings of the suburban telephones proved conclusively that ! they were a great convenience to the j residents. Last week the earnings of tho various bureaux wereSydenham £1 5s 2d, Addington 14s, St Albans lo.j Bd. Ferry Road Lss 6(1, Richmond 14s lOd and Selwyn Street 14s lOd. That showed that the in.stallatio?is were financially successful. Personally, Mr Ell said, ho was very disappointed at the slow progress being made with the work of supplying other suburban districts with public telephones. Before leaving office he had asked tho chief engineer to draw up a list of sites suitable for slot telephones. The list included the Cashmere Hills, Selwyn Street South, entrance Addington Workshops, corner Bj'own's Road and St Albans Lane, Opawa tram terminus, corners of Wordsworth Street and Walthain Road, Ferry Ho ad and Wilson's Road. Linwood Post Office, corners Worcester Street and (.'anal Reserve, Barbadoc-s Street and Cannon Street, Bealoy Avenue and Madras Street, Edinburgh Street and Ricearton I'oad, Colombo Street and Sandyford Street, Colombo Street and Ki!more Street, and Bealev Avenue and Victoria Street. That list was drawn up in June last year, and it would be seen that the majority of the sites recommended were still unprovided with