Mar, 1. yesterday's "Municipal Gazette" appears a disquieting report of a meeting of the Municipal Council held on February 12, which indicates another delay inthe reconstruction of the tele-hone service. Neither of the three tenders submitted is considered acceptable, and amendments to the franchise are suggested to form "the basis of negotiations for any alternative tenders that may be forthcoming."
It is five years since the working of the local telephone service became a matter of public concern, In 1925 the whole matter was investigated and a decision made to instal a certain type of automatic equipment. Last year about 10,000 lines were completed and 9,000 more were in hand, but Progress was interminably slow amd there seemed little prospect, of its catching up with the increasing demand, Mr. B. 0. Angon, one of the British Post, Office telephone experts, was therefore, invited to make an independent report of the system and its operation, and in November last submitted this to the Municipal Council. He found that the system selected, Rotary 'Automatic, was a good one, and say no reason for changing it; lid did, however, urge that speed be trade in changing, over from the old system to the new, which ie forecast could be carried out two years. In this every telephone user' will more than agree with him, and it need only: be shid that the Council adopted the The financing of the scheme was another matter, so tenders were invited from three corporations representing the principal systems of automatic telephony: the Eris-son, Strowger and Rotary, the first named a Swedish Company and the last two American Companies. Their tenders were in the hands of the Council on January 6 and were the subject of consideration by an independent committee consisting of the two Directors-General_ of the Settlements (Messrs. Fessenden and Verdier), and Messrs. A. W. Burkill, Henchman and Speelman. Representatives of the three firms tendering appeared before the committee and, it is to be presumed, supplemented their tenders with further information or explanations, That was'six weeks ago, and in yesterday's Gazette it is hinted that the subject is to re-opened, the estimates rehashed and the franchises amend-
More than three months of the two-year limit suggested by Mr. Anson have elapsed. His advice, if not ignored, has not been followed. The telephone user is still marking time, and the tenderers no doubt are wondering whether it is worth while, We have had occasion lately to criticize the semi-secrecy in which municipal affairs are being conducted, and urge again that some intelligent statement be made of the present position; that the tenders (which have already been circulated to the concerns tendering) be made public; and that some reason be given for not, apparently, taking the expensive advice of visiting experts.
The telephone service does not improves delay in dealitig with it on radical lines, as Mr. Anson emphasized, can only hasten the pace of general deterioration; and the public have a right to insist that no more time shall be wasted in dealing with a problem which, by every-day experience and the considered opinion of an_ expert of high-standing, has indeed become a scandal.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.