asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he will give favourable consideration to the request for telephone connection by night to clergymen, doctors and nurses in rural areas, who require such facilities for the purposes of their respective professions.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - NIGHT TELEPHONE CONNECTION IN RURAL AREAS.
In existing conditions the provision of a telephone service at night would involve continuous staff attendance and cost out of all proportion to the revenue from the comparatively few after-hour calls which would arise at small rural exchanges. The Department is, however, at present experimenting with a new type of semi-automatic apparatus, designed for the specific purpose of affording continuity of service in such cases while not requiring the constant attendance of staff. Some months must necessarily elapse before the Department will be in a position to say whether the new apparatus will be in all respects adequate.