Belgium 75 



In all cases the time unit of five minutes is reduced to three 

 between the Brussels and Antwerp Bourses during business hours. 



Formerly, internal trunk rates were doubled from 9 P.M. till 

 7 A.M., but this was found to kill traffic during the hours when it 

 was most wanted, and there is now no distinction between night 

 and day. 



3. Rates for international trunk lines. Communication is 

 now established between most of the Belgian areas and Paris, as 

 well as to Lille, Arras, Dunkirk, Douay, Cambray, Roubaix, 

 Tourcoing, Valenciennes, Maubeuge, and other towns in the 

 north-east of France. Subscribers with double wires naturally 

 possess a great advantage when using this service, and the State 

 accordingly recommends their use, but the single wires in Brussels 

 and elsewhere are put through by means of translators at the sub- 

 scribers' risk. As in the case of the internal Belgian trunks, each 

 conversation may be paid for separately, or a specified line may be 

 engaged for a stated number of minutes each day. As telephone 

 trunk lines are usually very much occupied during business hours, 

 and very much the reverse during the evening, night, and early 

 morning, an attempt has been made, and with some success, to 

 distribute the traffic better by granting reduced rates, approaching 

 half-price, between the hours of 9 P.M. and 7 A.M. The result 

 has been that the lines are kept as constantly busy during the day 

 as of yore, while the night traffic has sensibly increased. The 

 simplicity of the Belgian uniform rate between areas is replaced 

 in the French communications by a tariff regulated by distance, 

 which is as follows : 



Up to 50 kilometers . 

 50 ,, 150 



d. d. 



14-4 8-6 



19-2 1 1 -5 



150 ,, 250 23-1 14-4 



2 5 t 350 ,, 28-8 17-3 



Each additional 100 kilometers or fraction 



thereof . d'8 2 -88 



The time unit is five minutes, with no reduction for extended 

 talks ; but to Paris the time unit is only three minutes, the charge 



