asked the Postmaster-General by what date he now estimates the waiting list for subscribers telephone lines will he eliminated.

Although in many places the waiting list will have been cleared by next spring, I cannot yet forecast when it will be eliminated everywhere. We have provided many more connections than were promised when my predecessor forecast complete clearance by March, 1966. But, with a large backlog of under-investment to overtake and soaring demand, the waiting list must be expected to rise in some places during the next few years.