253 



XII. HUNGARY 



THE establishment and working of telephone exchanges has 

 been declared a privilege of the State in Hungary ; but before the 

 Government had determined to enter the field actively, some con- 

 cessions for thirty years had been granted to private persons, and 

 the telephone system of the country is now divided between the 

 Government and several companies. Trunk lines between Buda- 

 Pesth and the chief towns have recently been commenced, and in 

 some instances completed, and these belong exclusively to the 

 State, and are, indeed, intended primarily for State use, public 

 traffic being only a secondary consideration. There is also a 

 trunk route consisting of seven metallic circuits from Buda-Pesth 

 to Vienna, over which Szegedin, Temesvar, Arad, Raab, Pressburg, 

 and a few other towns can communicate with Austria. An 

 international line to Odessa has been proposed. 



SERVICES RENDERED AND TARIFFS 



i. Local exchange intercommunication. Subscriptions are of 

 two classes : (i) for instruments located actually within a town, 

 and (2) for instruments located in the suburbs. 



In Buda-Pesth the annual rates are : 



Per annum 

 s. d. 



CLASS i 12 10 o 



CLASS 2. If not more than \ kilometer beyond the 



town boundary . . . . . 12 13 4 

 If between | kilometer and 5 kilometers . 12 18 4 

 For each additional kilometer . . .018 



