Belgium 103 



1889 j 1890 j 1891 1892 i 1893 1894 



Number of con- 

 versations . i 46,720 53,621 61,575 i 80,120 | 108,459 ! 131,189 150,436 

 ; Receipts in francs 49,489 56,344 65,172 i 88,399 ; 125,415 156,818 187,259 



The lines carrying this traffic numbered and measured at 

 December 31, 1893 : Sixty-four metallic circuits, each made up 

 of two telegraph wires, measuring in total length 8,408 kilometers, 

 and worked by Van Rysselberghe's apparatus ; eleven ex- 

 clusively telephonic metallic circuits, measuring 1,124 kilometers 

 of wire. 



The actual receipts by the State for the telegraph and telephone 

 services respectively for the five years 1889-93 were as follows : 



Telegraph receipts Telephone receipts 



Year (fiancs) (francs) 



1889 3,463,267 136,359 



1890 3,614,930 l8l,6l2 



1891 3,721,805 242,971 



1892 3,650,146 36,53 



1893 3,684,068 1,845,010' 



It will be observed that in 1891, the year of the greatest 

 development of the telephonic trunk lines, the number of trunk 

 talks increasing from 80,120 in 1890 to 108,459 in 1891, the 

 telegraph revenue was better than ever before. During 1892, 

 however, in face of 131,189 trunk talks and a trunk revenue of 

 156,818 francs, it dropped 71,659 francs. This reads a large sum 

 in francs, but reduced to English money it means only some 

 2,866/., a small matter for a State department, which was partly 

 made up by the increase of 1,2567. in the telephone trunk receipts. 

 In 1893 the telegraph had recovered to within 1,5097. of its 1891 

 figure, in face of an increase in the telephone trunk revenue of 

 1,2177. over 1892. In 1893 the telegraph receipts had decreased 

 1,5097., and the telephone trunk receipts increased 2,4737. over 

 1891, while the telegraph had resumed its upward course. It 

 must be concluded therefore that the new service had in 1893 

 drawn 187,259 francs (7,4907.) from the pockets of the Belgian 

 people without sensibly affecting the old one. 



1 The State acquired most of the companies' systems at the beginning of 1893. 



