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with by the works of the Defendant. In some cases the disturbance is so great as to render speech quite inaudible. By "inaudible" I mean that, though the sound of the speaker's voice may be heard, the words being transmitted are unintelligible. In other cases speech is to some extent audible but an effort on the part of the listener is required to distinguish the words being transmitted, and there cannot be a doubt but that the effect produced by the working of the Defendant's trancers and line is such as greatly to interfere with the efficiency of the telephone by creating noise which in all cases impairs, and in some cases entirely destroys the power of transmitting speech.
7. To avoid the evils that must necessarily result to your Petitioners' telephonic system should the Electric Tramway Company be allowed to work their trams upon the single trolley system it will be necessary for your Petitioners to adopt a metallic return, that is to duplicate their wires in every part of the Colony and make use of the recent wire to every circuit back. This could entail a very large expenditure upon your Petitioners both initially and subsequently for maintenance totally out of proportion to the profits made by them and whereas it now requires about a month to restore the wires after a typhoon it would, with twice as many, take much longer, to the great inconvenience of the public and, as your Petitioners have for some 17 years been extending their system to all parts of the Colony in the face of numerous difficulties