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33- Alderman Kipling, and Councillors I.ing and Sommerfeld were
appointed the Council's representatives to attend a
Telephones Qonferencej convened by the Corporation of London, of
representatives of Local Authorities in the London Telephone area, to
consider the proposed purchase by the Government of the National
Telephone Company's undertaking. The Corporation, the London
County Council, the Westminster City Council, 25 Metropolitan Borough
Councils, eight Provincial Borough Councils, and 40 Urban District
Councils were represented at the Conference, at which the following
resolutions were passed, viz.:—
(a) That this Conference is of opinion that it would be inexpedient for
the Government to acquire the undertaking of the National Telephone
Company on any other terms than those set out in the agreement between
the Postmaster-General and the Company, dated. November 18th, 1901.
(A) That this Conference is of opinion that before any agreement is
entered into with the National Telephone Company for the purchase of their
system within the London Telephone area the terms of the proposed arrangement
should be submitted for the consideration of the Local Authorities
within the London telephone area ; and that in the event of Parliament
appointing a Committee to consider purchase negotiations between the Postmaster.
General and the National Telephone Company, the local authorities
within the London telephone area should be enabled to submit their views
before such Committee, and steps be taken to secure accordingly.
(c) That this Conference again protests against the Post Office telephone
tariff, being of opinion that the charge for the use of a telephone in the
London area should be materially reduced.
(d) That in the opinion of this Conference, the trunk line service is
inadequate and unsatisfactory, and requires considerable improvement.
34. Copies of the resolutions were sent to the Prime Minister, the
Postmaster-General and others, and a letter was received from the
Postmaster-General to the effect that he thought the National
Telephone Company could hardly be expected to accept at the present
time the terms which they accepted as applicable 011 the termination
of their licence in 1911 ; that he was convinced that the acquisition
by the Government of the whole telephone system of the country in
the near future, provided the price to be paid was reasonable, would
be more to the public advantage; that further opportunity would be
given for consideration by Parliament of any agreement between the
Government and the Company which might be proposed, when the
views of the Local Authorities in the London area would 110 doubt be
expressed by their representatives in the House of Commons, but he
c