p.—l
44
Of the new connections made during the year, 4,916 were with Class I exchanges, 2,100 with Class II exchanges, 2,387 with Class 111 exchanges, and 2,756 with Class TV (country) exchanges. The waiting-list at these exchanges now stands at 180; 48; 73; and 358 respectively : total, 659, compared with 2,241 on the 31st March, 1927. The waiting-list for Class IV exchanges includes 77 applicants for connections at telephone exchanges authorized but not yet opened. The following table shows the number of telephone-stations in each engineering district on the 31st March, 1927 and 1928, respectively, and the percentage of increase in each case :-
The number of subscribers' stations (main and extension) connected with each of the fourteen principal exchanges on the 31st March, 1928, was —Auckland, 17,460; Wellington, 17,167; Christchurch, 11,188; Dunedin, 7,774; Wanganui, 3,630; Palmerston North, 2,892; Hamilton, 2,771 ; Gisborne, 2,618; Napier, 2,611; Invercargill, 2,604; Hastings, 2,446; Timaru, 1,956; Masterton, 1,910; New Plymouth, 1,813. The number of party and rural lines on the 31st March, 1928, was 9,508 to which were connected. 37,379 main stations—an increase of 356 and 2,032 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, 1928 :—
The length in miles of the various items of telephone-exchange plant in existence on the 31st March, 1927, and 1928, respectively, was as follows : —
Number of Stations on 31st March, Engineering District. 1927. 1928. Main Extension Total Main Extension Stations. Stations. Stations. Stations. I Percentagc of Total. Increase. Auckland Wellington . . Canterbury .. Otago 33.271 47,252 16,770 15,050 I I 33.271 5,073 38,344 35.581 5,472 47,252 8,627 , 55,879 ! 49,286 ; 9,315 16,770 3,545 : 20,315 17,88-1 3.760 15,050 2,501 .17,551 15,751 \ 2,688 112,343 19,746 132,089 118,505 I 21,235 I 41,056 7-1 58,601 4-9 21,644 6-5 18,439 5-1 139,740 5-8 Totals 112,343
Percentage of Class I Exchanges. Class II Exchanges. Class III (lass IV Exchanges. Exchanges. Dominion Percentages. 3usiness stations Residential stations 40 60 33 67 29 22 71 78 31 69 i individual-line stations 'arty- and rural-line stations 100 100 100 100 100 100 90 10 75 25 56 38 44 62 38 62 68 32 100 100 100 100 100 100
Pole-line. Cable. Under- , . , In Underground. ' ground Cable. V In Aerial Cable. Wire. iVire. .-. a • i Under all Open Aerial. ■__- ,. r Headings. In existence on 31st March, 1927 Erected during year . . Dismantled during year In existence on 31st March, 1928 11,912 1,086 51 12,947 81 S 2 89 814* 97 21 890 14* 637* | 285,33L 71,719* 83,559* J 97 71 32,938 7,053 8,305 21 103 9,912 13,139 2,498' 90 605 308,357 65,633 89,366f 440,609* 48,296 25,549 463,356 jvisod figure: i. t Includes 149 miles of earth-working circuit.