270 Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



XIV. LUXEMBURG 



HISTORY AND PRESENT POSITION 



ONE of the smallest States of Europe, with an area (998 square 

 miles) and a population (211,088 in 1891) practically the same 

 as that of Dorsetshire, with a capital, too, counting only 18,187 

 souls, Luxemburg is nevertheless also one of the most telephoni- 

 cally active. In January 1895' the capital with its 18,000 people 

 had 621 exchange instruments working, or 3*4 for each 100 in- 

 habitants, while the whole Grand Duchy boasted 85 exchanges 

 and 1,315 instruments, or '62 of an instrument for each 100 

 inhabitants. Fancy Dorsetshire with 85 telephone switch-rooms 

 within its borders ! 



By the law of December 17, 1884, the establishment of tele- 

 phone exchanges was made a Government monopoly, and the 

 existing regulations and charges were fixed by the law of March 9, 

 1887. The first exchange was opened in Luxemburg city in 

 1885. 



The Luxemburg system differs from all others in Europe in 

 one essential respect : there are no trunk rates. While all the 

 villages (there is only one town, the capital) possess exchanges 

 and are joined together by numerous trunk lines, the subscribers 

 have nothing to pay beyond the subscription (a very moderate one 

 as will presently appear) to their local exchange, and may call up 

 any other subscriber within the limits of the Grand Duchy at 

 will. That they are not backward in availing themselves of this 

 privilege appears from the fact that in 1892 the inter-town talks 

 numbered 671,937, considerably more than in the neighbouring 

 republic of France for the corresponding period, while the local 



