F.—l.

hours on Sundays and holidays. The remaining subscribers, comprising 4-5 per cent, of the total, are provided with service varying from seven to fourteen hours on week-days and, in many cases, with two hours' service on Sundays and holidays. During the year the attendance at sixteen exchanges was extended, mainly as a result of the growth in the number of subscribers. INTERPHONE EQUIPMENT : REDUCTION IN CHARGE. During the year a reduction from £3 ss. to £2 15s. was made in the annual charge for each interphone position using equipment having a keybox and a hand micro-telephone combined as a single unit. The reduction had the effect of bringing the charge for this equipment into line with that for two-piece equipment in which the keybox and the telephone are separate units. TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES. To provide a distinction between newly issued directories and those of the preceding issue, an alternating colour scheme was introduced in October. The covers of one series of directories are being printed in chocolate and green and those of the next series in red and blue. PUBLIC CALL OEFICES. One hundred and twelve additional public call offices (coin-in-the-slot telephones) were installed during the year and eight were closed. At the 31st March fifty-six authorized installations were awaiting erection. The total number of slot telephones in operation at the end of the year was 1,021, the charge from 977 of which was Id. ; from 7, 2d. ; and from 37, 3d. The revenue for the year amounted to £55,177, an increase of 8-1 per cent, compared with the previous year. The average return for each machine was £56 19s. 9d. It is noteworthy that New Zealand is the only country in the world in which telephone calls may be made from public coin-in-the-slot telephones at the rate of Id. a call. INCREASES IN SWITCHBOARD ACCOMMODATION. The growth of the demand for telephone-exchange service has necessitated increases in switching apparatus at the following exchanges : Awanui, Kerikeri Central, Kaikohe, Dargaville, Maungaturoto, Kaiwaka, Pukekohe, Tuakau, Matamata, Whakatane, Otorohanga, Rotorua, Taupo, Urenui, New Plymouth, Napier, Plimmerton, Nelson, Gore, Nightcaps, and Invercargill. At Porirua a rural automatic exchange replaced the small manually-operated switchboard. Switching equipment of the branching multiple type was installed at Te Awamutu to replace single-unit switchboards, thus improving operating facilities and at the same time making provision for future growth. The friction-driven party-line equipment at the Khandallah automatic exchange was replaced by modern gear-driven type. The following is a summary of other important operations during the year in the development and maintenance of telephone exchange systems in the Dominion :— The laying or erecting of 50 miles of lead-covered cables containing 10,667 miles of wire for subscribers' circuits. The erection of 523 miles of pole-line and 5,111 miles of open aerial wire for the connection of telephone exchange subscribers' stations. The reconstruction or partial reconstruction of open aerial systems at a large number of telephone exchanges. The replacement of existing switchboards at Kaeo, Kawakawa, Raglan, Owhango, Rahotu, Eltham, Manaia, Mangaweka, Pahiatua, Greytown, Omakau, Queenstown, Arrowtown, Dipton West, Wyndham, and Tuatapere. The removal of the telephone exchange equipment, &c., to new post-office buildings at Kerikeri Central, Maungaturoto, Kumeu, Waimana, Waipiro Bay, Mangaweka, Pahiatua, Waikari, Mayfield, Omakau, and Queenstown. The installation of standard type main distributing-frames at Kawakawa and Maungaturoto. The provision of air-conditioning plant at the Christchurch Central automatic-telephone exchange. The provision of additional trunk circuits between Devonport and Takapuna, and the Khandallah and Wellington automatic exchanges. The installation of machine-ringing apparatus at Rawene, Kawakawa, Dargaville, Maungaturoto, Warkworth, Tirau, Wairoa, Eketahuna, Greymouth, Rangiora, Mayfield, and Ashburton. An improvement in speech-efficiency between Lower Hutt and Wellington exchanges by the installation of eight sets of loading-coils at selected points between the two places. The provision of special facilities for the handling of fire-alarm calls to the new Central Eire Station at Wellington. A central battery manual switchboard was installed, as well as special equipment at the automatic exchange to enable false-alarm calls to be traced to the originating telephone. The installation of a motor-generator battery charger and rectifier at Hastings. The replacement of two exchange batteries at Stratford by a single unit working on the fullfloat principle. The replatal of the main battery at Courtenay Place (Wellington). The installation of a new motor-generator battery-charging set at Wellington South to enable the battery to be operated on the full-float method. The installation of additional rectifiers for battery-charging purposes at Christchurch Central and St. Albans exchanges. The replacement of the secondary battery at Roslyn.

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