32 Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



I. AUSTRIA 



HISTOBY AND PRESENT POSITION 



THE history of the telephone in Austria dates from 1880, when 

 the Government granted a concession for the city of Vienna to 

 the Vienna Private Telegraph Company. This was soon followed 

 by concessions to various persons and firms for several of the 

 principal towns, the most valuable of which were acquired by an 

 English association, the Telephone Company of Austria, Limited. 

 Some of these concessions were, however, burdened by im- 

 practicable conditions owing to the desire of the Government to 

 leave the settlement of details to the local authorities most 

 interested. For instance, it is related that the Cracow municipality 

 required of the concessionary for that town that all wires should 

 be run horizontally, immediately beneath the projecting eaves of 

 the houses, and always at the same height above the ground 

 (incompatible conditions since the heights of the buildings 

 varied) ; that the wires should never cross a street, and that a 

 sum of money should be deposited out of which the municipality 

 could satisfy any claims for damages that might arise. It is 

 perhaps needless to say that the Telephone Company of Austria 

 did not touch that licence ; and, in fact, the municipality of 

 Cracow had to wait for its telephones until 1887, when the State 

 began the construction of exchanges on its own account, and then, 

 strange to say, obtained the fulfilment of none of its conditions. 

 In addition to that of the capital, the Vienna Private Telegraph 

 Company undertook the exchange at Briinn ; the Telephone 

 Company of Austria constructed from time to time, until its 

 acquisition by the State on January i, 1893, tne exchanges at 



