France 145 



io/. per kilometer of line as a maximum, and i2/. for supplying 

 and fitting the instrument. The local post-office is generally used 

 as the station, and the employee in charge is repaid for the extra 

 work involved by an allowance of i'^d. on each message 

 forwarded, and ~^6d. on each received. The advance is gradually 

 repaid, without interest, out of the proceeds of a surcharge of 2 '^d. 

 on each telegraphic or telephonic message transmitted, which 

 surcharge ceases as soon as the cost of the line has been wiped 

 out. In the middle of 1 894 there were but ten municipal telephone 

 stations in operation, and these appear, for the most part, to be 

 essentially telegraph offices with telephones in lieu of the ordinary 

 apparatus. The results achieved by the Swiss parochial stations, 

 which these to some extent resemble, are certainly not attained. 



9. Special exchanges, or connection of groups of subscribers 

 to an existing trunk line. When several persons located near 

 the route of a trunk line wish to avail themselves of telephonic 

 communication they are formed into a * special exchange.' Each 

 subscriber has to pay 2/. per annum, in addition to the cost of his 

 line, which may, at his desire, be spread over several years, but 

 this entitles him to nothing except actual connection to the 

 system and to be rung up by anybody who may want him. If he 

 originates a conversation, even with his next neighbour, he must 

 pay at the rate of 4-8^. per five minutes' talk. All such special 

 exchanges are connected to the trunk line which passes near, so 

 that communication to and fro over it is available to the sub- 

 scribers on payment of the trunk rates. This system has its 

 analogue in Switzerland, but there the subscribers may talk freely 

 locally, and only have to pay when the trunk line is brought into 

 requisition. 



TARIFFS 



i. Rates for local exchange communication. Paris. Within 

 Paris proper the annual rate is i6/., the subscriber finding his 

 own transmitter and receiver and any extra bell or switch that 

 may be required, but paying nothing towards the cost of his 

 line. 



An extra instrument in the same building costs 2/. per annum. 



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