33

F.—l

The conversion to metallic-circuit working of the Kumara and Ross Exchanges. The extension of the switching equipment at forty manual exchanges and three automatic exchanges. The erection of 948 miles of pole-line and 8,666 miles of open aerial wire for telephoneexchange subscribers' circuits. The laying or erecting of 168 miles of lead-covered cable containing 47,415 miles of wire for subscribers' circuits. The connection of 10,593 new subscribers' stations. The maintenance of 132,089 telephone-stations. The steady growth of the telephone system is exemplified in the following table,Jwhich shows annually since 1918 the number of exchanges, the total wire-mileage, the revenue, and the total number of telephone-stations, together with the number of telephones for each population of the Dominion: —

TELEPHONE STATISTICS. The manner in which the exchanges are classified, the number of exchanges in each class, and the number of stations connected therewith on the 31st March, 1927, are shown in the following table : —

5 —F. 1.

Number of Telephone-stations. Year. Number of JVTiles of Wire. Revenue. Exchan g es - Tn . , Per 1,000 Total. X, ,' . -Population. £ 1918 .. .. .. 280 154,799 344,368 67,763 58-67 1919 .. .. .. 287 165,962 373,169 72,561 61-59 1920 .. .. .. 291 177,509 419,318 80,723 65-26 1921 .. .. .. 296 192,027 533,535 88,439 69-80 1922 .. .. .. 301 207,529 614,367 94,683 72-78 1923 .. .. .. 320 229,882 595,967 107,036 80-78 1924 .. .. .. 327 269,421 830,470 111,441 82-67 1925 .. .. .. 340 331,453 867,218 120,097* 87-09 1926 .. .. .. 341 402,433 980,281 130,186* 94-40 1927 .. .. .. 342 440,253 995,071 137,307* 95-48 * Includes approximately 5,000 non-exchange stations.

Class I. Class II. Class III. Exchanges or Net- Exchanges or Net- Exchanges or Networks observing works observing works observing Class IV. Continuous Continuous Continuous Exchanges Attendance and Attendance and Attendance and or Networks Dominion having more than having 1,001 to having 201 to where the Totals. 3,500 Paying 3,500 Paying 1,000 Paying Attendance Subscribers' Main Subscribers' Main Subscribers' Main is restricted. Stations con- Stations con- , Stations connected therewith, nected therewith, i nected therewith. Subscribers'main stations .. 36,804 22,429 22,674 25,975 107,882 Toll and service stations .. 618 485 778 2,145 4,026 Public call offices .. .. 314 79 36 6 435 Extension stations —• P.B.X. .. .. .. 5,385 1,290 415 94 7,184 Ordinary .. .. .. 6,992 3,008 1,574 988 12,562 Telephone-stations: Class totals.. 50,113 27,291 25,477 29,208 132,089 Number of exchanges in each class 4 12 49 277 342 Percentage of new connections made 35 19 20 26 with each class of exchange during the year