Post Office Charges and Services

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 21 April 1970.

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Photo of Mr John Golding Mr John Golding , Newcastle-under-Lyme 12:00, 21 April 1970

The hon. Gentleman seems to have overlooked the fact that I am talking about the telephone service. He may not know the difference between the telephone service and the postal system.

Traditionally, hon. Gentlemen opposite have said that our Post Office is superior to the American one, but then they say that the American telephone service is superior to ours. There has not been a collapse of the telephone service in London, as there has been in New York. The collapse there was forecast by Mr. Joseph Bierne, the President of the Communication Workers in America. In an article which he wrote many months ago he charged the Bell Company with putting profit before the interests of the consumer and of the staff.

It would be worth the while of hon. Gentlemen opposite to go to New York to study the collapse of the American system. It has arisen partly from a practice which is being suggested by hon. Gentlemen opposite for our telephone service. Telephones have been fitted in New York on demand, for which there is no exchange equipment or cable available. It is like fitting a gas stove when gas is not available.