3O Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



the past ten years, that all these things are compatible with the 

 scale of charges given above. 



It is hoped that the analyses of the facilities, regulations, and 

 methods of dealing with traffic given in the book will prove of 

 interest, and even profit, to telephone managers. The result 

 of the working of many intelligent minds separately striving 

 after a solution of the same problem must be always worthy 

 of contemplation ; and none are so wise as to be independent 

 of the experience of others. The details given in the various 

 sections make it abundantly evident that telephone mana- 

 gers and engineers may learn much from each other, for the 

 facilities given to the public vary considerably in different coun- 

 tries, while some methods are obviously superior to others in 

 vogue elsewhere. 



The author has endeavoured, as far as possible, to avoid de- 

 scribing well-known apparatus and methods. In respect to the 

 technical portions a familiarity on the part of the reader with 

 ordinary telephone exchange work and management is throughout 

 assumed. 



It will be readily understood that a book like the present 

 would be impossible without the cordial co-operation of many 

 friends, and the author has pleasure indeed in acknowledging his 

 indebtedness to the gentlemen of all nationalities with whom it 

 was his good fortune to come in contact during his continental tour. 

 Everywhere (except at Berlin) officials, whether of State adminis- 

 trations or of companies, permitted, and even courted, the fullest 

 inspection, and placed the most ample information, documentary 

 and otherwise, at the author's disposal. Specially he would like to 

 place on record his thanks to the following gentlemen : M. J. 

 BANNEUX, Director, and M. H. FRENAY, Engineer, of the Belgian 

 Posts and Telegraphs, Brussels ; Mr. E. B. PETERSEN, General 

 Manager of the Copenhagen Telephone Company; Mr. F. Ros- 

 BERG, Telephone Engineer, Helsingfors ; M. SELIGMANN, Chief 

 Engineer, French Telephone Administration, Paris ; Dr. H. F. R. 

 HUBRECHT, Managing Director, and Mr. N. HEINZELMANN, 

 Engineer, Netherlands Bell Telephone Company, Amsterdam ; 

 Mr. A. E. R. COLLETTE, Engineer, Dutch Administration of Posts 

 and Telegraphs, The Hague ; Mr. C. J. VAN BUEREN, Managing 



