66 Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



III. BELGIUM 



HISTORY AND PRESENT POSITION 



THE original exchange systems in Belgium were established by the 

 International Bell Telephone Company under concessions, granted 

 September 22, 1883, from the Government. Subsequently these 

 -were acquired by the Compagnie Beige du Telephone Bell, which, 

 until the transfer to the Government at the end of 1892, operated 

 in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroy, Verviers, and La Louviere. 

 Liege was worked by a separate company, the Compagnie Liegois 

 du Telephone Bell, while several of the smaller towns were granted 

 to individuals. Thus a Mr. J. Ryf, a Swiss from Zurich, esta- 

 blished exchanges in Louvain, Namur, and Mechlin ; and a M. 

 Cahen in Mons and Courtray. All these, with the exception of 

 Namur, Mechlin (Mr. Ryf), and Courtray (M. Cahen), the con- 

 cessions for which do not expire until during the current year, 

 have now come into the possession of the Belgian Government. 

 The State had itself established exchanges in four different areas 

 Ostend-Bruges, Termonde-St. Nicholas-Alost, Hasselt-Landen, 

 and Tournay. After 1895 the State will possess a monopoly of 

 telephonic as well as of telegraphic communication within the 

 kingdom, and intends to preserve it. All the exchanges con- 

 structed by companies were on the single wire and earth return 

 system, while all those of the State were on the metallic circuit 

 plan. All exchanges were built, and still consist of, overhead 

 wires. The State, recognising the inadequacy of single wires for 

 the general purposes of a telephone system, intends to gradually 

 convert the whole of the exchanges taken over from the com- 



