156 Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



person asked for ; the delay caused by an operator who knows 

 she doesn't know and accordingly refers to the list ! 



As an inevitable consequence the service is slow, although 

 the speaking, when once through, is excellent. The service 

 instructions are simple, and probably the best for the circum- 

 stances. A caller pushes his button several times and then puts 

 the receiver to his ear and waits for the exchange's reply, which 

 obtaining, he states the name and address of his client which is 

 repeated by the operator and again waits with the receiver to 

 his ear until he hears his friend's voice. On receiving a call, a 

 subscriber lifts his phone and speaks without ringing back. The 

 ring-off is a pressure of both buttons. There being no discrimi- 

 native disconnection signal, subscribers must refrain from touch- 

 ing their buttons during intercourse, a disadvantage, great and 

 grievous as it is, which prevails everywhere on the Continent. 

 The easy-going temperament of the Gaul in telephonic matters is 

 further evidenced by his tolerance of the rule that no new con- 

 nection must be demanded within half a minute of a ring-off. 

 Fancy a subscriber brought up on the Mann system standing that ! 

 He would expect to obtain and get rid of at least two connections 

 in the time. It is but fair to state, however, that the engineers 

 fully recognise the shortcomings of the system, especially in regard 

 to ringing batteries and calling by name, but have to submit to the 

 inevitable, which decrees their continuance. The average number 

 of calls per subscriber in Paris is stated to be 5-5 per day ; in the 

 suburbs it rarely exceeds two per day. The traffic to be dealt with 

 is consequently comparatively small. In Paris, all the work being 

 underground, it has not been found necessary to fit lightning pro- 

 tectors at the exchanges, but in the suburbs and provinces this is 

 never omitted. The protector which seems to find the most 

 favour consists simply of a strip of paper, silvered on one side 

 only, 3 mm. wide and 30 mm. long, inserted in the line by means 

 of two metal clips. It is found to invariably fuse and save the 

 coils during a discharge, but it of course never acts without 

 interrupting the communication with the exchange of the line 

 affected, a grave disadvantage. 



At Rouen an American multiple with parallel jacks and self- 

 restoring drops, essentially similar to that at Zurich (see Swiss 



