4 Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



ample reserve funds, and liberally contributing to the benevolent 

 funds of its male and female employees, all on an inclusive subscrip- 

 tion of 4/. 8^. \\d. 



What can be done in the direction of municipal telephones is 

 instanced by the example of Trondhjem, the third town of 

 Norway, where the telephone exchange is in the hands of the town 

 council. The exchange is well built of good material, provided 

 with the most expensive instruments in the market those of 

 Ericsson & Co., and earns a profit of 4 per cent, for the rate- 

 payers, on an inclusive rate of 2/. los. for business connections 

 and i/. 5-y. for private houses, rates which apply to lines not 

 exceeding i^ kilometers in length ! Is there a valid reason 

 why a British municipality should not do as well in a town of 

 corresponding size ? 



Switzerland is another country in which low rates prevail, soon 

 to give way (see page 378) to lower ; but the system adopted of 

 charging per call or connection renders comparison with the fore- 

 going rates, which cover any desired number of local calls, difficult. 

 J- or the subscriber who makes but little use of his telephone the new 

 Swiss tariff will be the cheapest of all, while the busy firm's contri- 

 bution may exceed the highest rates mentioned in this book. Thus, 

 a man calling only once per working day will pay (after having 

 been a member of the exchange for two years) only 2/. 45-. 6d. per 

 annum, while a subscriber calling 20 times a day will pay 147. 2s., 

 and one originating 30 talks per day as much as 2o/. js. id. This 

 plan is unquestionably the most rational one, but experience shows 

 that it tends to reduce the number of calls, so that the average of 

 the daily connections asked for at Zurich is only two per subscriber. 

 The Swiss plan, therefore, restricts the volume of business and 

 the usefulness of the telephone, while the lines and exchange appa- 

 ratus must be as expensive and perfect as in the busiest centre. 



In the tabulated statements in the Danish and Norwegian 

 sections will be found many particulars of, and results obtained in, 

 the smaller towns. 



Some information as to the way-leave facilities enjoyed by the 

 telephone administrations or companies in most of the countries 

 is given. The author's inquiries tend to show that the autocratic 

 privileges talked of are mostly imaginary. The French Govern- 



