CO129-525-12 Transfer of Government wireless services to imperial and international communications Ltd 20-3-1930 - 7-1-1931 — Page 21

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"H. Kang Weekly Bels

August 8- 1930.

TRUNK CALLS FROM

HONG KONG.

TELEPHONE DEVELOP- MENTS FORESHADOWED.

GOVT. AND WIRELESS TELEPHONY,

At last week's meeting of the Legislative Council an Ordinance to amend the Telephone Ordinance of 1925 was introduced by the Attorney-General.

The new Ordinance envisages the time when trunk calls can be made from Hong Kong to outports, also the time when wireless telephony is established in the Colony.

An interesting section relating to the position of the local Telephone Company reads as follows:-

"Whenever a system of wireless telephony is established in

the

Colony, the company shall connect its system of telephony therewith on terms to be approved by the Gover- nor in Council."

In connection with trunk calls the following section is of interest :---

"No subscriber shall be entitled to make trunk calls from his tele- phone unless he shall have first notified the company in writing of such his desire and unless he shall have deposited and kept deposited such sum not exceeding twenty dollars as the company may demand of him as security for charges in respect of such trunk calls."

The new Ordinance also contains a schedule of annual rates and other charges for services perform- ed by the company.

The objects and reasons attached to the Ordinance read as follows:-

Objects and Reasons,

1. The objects of the amending Ordinance are to make it clear that the concession given to the Hong Kong Telephone Company, Limited, by the Telephone Ordinance, 1925, applies to trunk lines laid in the Colony for the purposes of communicating with places outside the Colony and to pro- vide a scale of charges for trunk calls and a means of obtaining security for such charges. Also to make it clear that the Hong Kong Tele- phone Company, Limited, is entitled to charge its sub- scribers for various services other than those mentioned in section 34 of the present Ordi- nance, such as the removal of lines and instruments (the provision and installation of extensions and private switch- boards), and services of a similar nature and to provide a definite scale of charges in respect of such services. Although it is highly pro- bable that on the construction of the Telephone Ordinance, 1925, as it stands at present the concession granted to the Hong Kong Telephone Com- pany, Limited, includes the provision of trunk lines for the purpose of communicating with

places outside the Colony, it appears desirable

2.

3.

4.

to specifically include this class of telephonic communi- cation in order to remove any doubts which otherwise might arise. As there is no mention in the existing Ordinance of trunk calls or of any scale of charges in respect thereof a scale of charges for trunk calls has been included in the Schedule and provisions as to the making of trunk calls and for security for trunk charges included in the Ordinance. At the present time the Hong Kong Telephone Co., Ltd., carry out a large number of varied services for subscribers in respect of which no pro- vision either as to carrying them out or as to payment for them is included in the Ordi- nance and for this reason pro- vision has been made in the new section 34A and the Schedule.

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This Ordinance also makes provision for the future link- ing up, on terms to be ap- proved by the Governor Council, of the system cover- ed by the Company's conces- sion, which is a system of wire telephony, with any sys- tem of wireless telephony that the may be established in Colony.

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