France 143 



3. Internal trunk line communication. The French internal 

 trunk service has recently experienced a wide extension. Some 

 of the lines date from 1885, when the system was commenced by 

 the connection of Paris to Rouen, Le Havre, Lille, and Rheims. 

 In 1888 Lyons and Marseilles were added, and now there are but 

 few of the leading provincial towns without communication with 

 Paris. No fewer than fifty-four long-distance trunks meet (January 

 1895) at the Paris Central Station in the Rue Gutenberg. The 

 rates are based on distance, being 4-8^. per 100 kilometers, and 

 so considerably cheaper than those proposed by the British Post 

 Office. Thus the rate from Paris to Marseilles (560 miles) is 

 y. -]d. for five minutes, while for a similar distance the British 

 would be TS. 6d. for three minutes a vast difference. The French 

 have, too, reduced rates during the night, and a system of monthly 

 subscriptions which secures a specific line to the subscriber every 

 night at a cost of less than one half of the normal tariff. Un- 

 questionably the French trunk line policy is more liberal and 

 better adapted to actual requirements than their local. In Algeria, 

 which telephonically is also administered by the French Posts and 

 Telegraphs Department, there is a trunk line between Oran and 

 Sidi-Bel-Abbas. The number of trunk communications in France 

 is certainly very large, but the officials scout the idea that the trunk 

 service has injured the telegraph revenue. 



4. International trunk line communication. At the present 

 time this is opened to England, between Paris and London ; to 

 Belgium, between Paris and most of the towns in the north-east 

 of France, and Brussels and the chief Belgian cities ; to Switzer- 

 land, via Besangon, and from St-Julien to Geneva ; and to Monaco, 

 from Nice and Mentone. A trunk to Madrid is spoken of, but 

 nothing has yet been heard of lines to Italy or to Germany. 



The receipts of the Anglo-French trunks are pooled, and 

 divided between the two Governments in the proportion of eleven- 

 twentieths to France and nine-twentieths to England. Similarly, 

 France receives three-fifths of the total receipts derived from the 

 Franco-Belgian intercourse. 



5. Telephoning of telegrams. This is the one matter in 

 which the French have shown a commendable liberality, for, as 

 a rule, they charge nothing for the telephone- telegraphic service. 



