Holland 229 



WAY-LEAVES 



Neither the Netherlands Bell Telephone Company nor any 

 other of the concessionaries possesses compulsory powers : they 

 have to beg and pay their way in the same fashion as the English 

 companies. The Netherlands Bell Company inserts a clause in 

 its agreements by which subscribers bind themselves to grant way- 

 leave facilities on their premises, but it has not been found politic 

 to enforce it strictly. The same company pays the Amsterdam 

 Municipality no less that 2/. is. ^d. per subscriber per annum, and 

 provides no less than thirty-one free connections for the right to 

 erect poles and lay cables in the streets and public places and to 

 fix wires on public buildings. This does not obviate the necessity 

 of going on private property, a privilege which has to be bought 

 occasionally with a free exchange connection or payment of one 

 florin (is. 7$d.) per wire per annum. The provincial towns deal 

 more liberally with the company than Amsterdam does, and cor- 

 responding rights-of-way are usually granted in return for a few 

 free connections to the municipal offices. 



ROYALTIES 



None are payable to the State unless a subscriber's line exceeds 

 five kilometers in length. In such a case i/. i^s. is charged for 

 the sixth, and i6s. 6d. for each succeeding kilometer per annum. 



SWITCHING ARRANGEMENTS 



The switch-boards in Holland are not of the latest type ; 

 Amsterdam with nearly 1,700, and Rotterdam with nearly 1,000 

 subscribers being still worked with Gillilano. boards. The reason 

 is the company's undefined position in respect to the State. A 

 new post and telegraph office is to be built in Amsterdam, to 

 which it is proposed that the telephone exchange shall be removed. 

 With such a shift in prospect, it is not to be expected that the 

 company would go to the great expense involved in fitting a 

 modern multiple board on its old premises. Much the same 

 state of matters exists at Rotterdam. At Amsterdam, where the 



