31

F.—l

Of the new connections made during the year 3,328 were with Class I exchanges, 2,212 with Class II exchanges, 2,663 with Class 111 exchanges, and 5,101 with Class IV (country) exchanges. The waiting-list at these exchanges now stands at 1,664, 367, 364, and 1,227 respectively : total, 3,622 —a reduction of 464 on the figures for the year ended 31st March, 1924. Although the waiting-list has not been reduced to any marked extent numerically, a number equivalent to those now waiting has been provided with telephone connections every three months, so that, except at comparatively few exchanges where conditions are abnormal, applicants have not been waiting for telephone service more than three months. The waiting-list includes 282 applicants for connections at telephone exchanges authorized but not yet opened ; the figures for the previous year under this heading were 700. The following table shows the number of telephone stations in each Engineer's district in the Dominion on the 31 st March, 1924 and 1925 respectively, and the percentage of increase in each case : —

The number of subscribers' stations (main and extension) connected with each of the twelve principal exchanges on the 31st March, 1925, was —Wellington, 13,547 ; Auckland, 12,581 ; Christchurch, 9,425 ; Dunedin, 6,571 ; Wanganui, 2,958 ; Hamilton, 2,472 ; Gisborne, 2,415 ; Palmerston North, 2,378 ; Napier, 2,330; Invercargill, 2,316 ; Hastings, 2,239; Masterton, 1,696. The number of party and rural lines on the 31st March, 1925, was 8,387, to which were connected 31,187 main stations —an increase of 752 and 3,720 respectively on the figures for the previous year. The following table shows, for each class of exchange, the respective percentages of business and residential stations, also the respective percentages of individual and] party-line stations on the 31st March, 1925.

The length in miles of the various items of telephone-exchange plant in existence on the 31st March 1924 and 1925 respectively, was as follows : —

Number of Stations on 31st March, „ . , 1V , . . 1024. 1925. Engineers District. p er . j i j j j centage Main | Extension ; , , i Main Extension i , , T Stations. Stations. -o.a. , gt a tj ons Stations. 0,a ' Increase. M HI IB I BS*fj I 1 I I I ~~1 Auckland .. .. 25,618 3,974 29,592 28,528 4,262 32,790 10-8 Wellington .. .. 39,267 6,791 46,058 41,941 7,236 49,177 6-8 Canterbury .. .. 13,994 2,952 16,946 15,148 3,151 18,299 8-0 Otago .. .. 12,003 2,165 14,168 13,016 2,267 15,283 7-9 Totals .. I 90,882 15,882 106,764 j 98,633 16,916 115,549 I 8-2

p , » ' Class I i Class II Class III. ! Class IV Dominion " Exchanges. Exchanges. Exchanges. ! Exchanges. Percentages. Business stations .. . . .. I 46 36 32 26 36 Residential stations .. .. 54 64 68 74 64 | 100 100 100 I 100 100 Individual-line stations .. .. 87 75 60 43 67 Party- and rural-line stations .. 13 25 40 57 33 100 100 100 100 , 100 | I I .

Cable. Wire. ; Pole-line. Under- . . , In Under- In Aerial . . . Under all ground. AenaJ " ground Cable. Cable. °P en Aerlal " Headings. In existence on 31st 7,605 j 406 589 140,965 | 69,342 59,114* 269,421 March, 1924 Erected during year .. 1,947 154 80 48,506 8,492 11,995 68,993 Dismantled during year 53 3 28 1,369 3,302 2,290 6,961 In existence on 31st 9,499 557 641 188,102 74,532 68,819 331,453 March, 1925 I * Revised figures.