Norway 287 



of 8477. per annum. It consequently became obvious that the 

 two systems of communication could exist side by side. It 

 should, however, be noted that the Norwegian Government had 

 acted wisely from the first in availing itself of the telephonic 

 exchanges as feeders of the telegraph ; and had even inserted a 

 clause in the companies' concessions binding them to allow their 

 lines to be used for the transmission of telegrams. The British 

 Post Office, on the other hand, moved heaven and earth to pre- 

 vent the English telephone companies doing anything of the 

 kind ; thereby proving itself far less enlightened, and appreciative 

 of the new state of affairs that had arisen, than that of Norway. 

 In 1894 the Norwegian trunk system has grown to such an extent 

 that space cannot be spared in the present work for a mere 

 enumeration of the lines. 



In Norway, particularly in the north, many telegraph lines 

 exist which, prior to the advent of the telephone, were used only 

 during the fishing season, the traffic during the rest of the year not 

 sufficing to pay the cost of skilled operators, lighting, warming, 

 &c. As the towns and villages concerned were nevertheless 

 desirous of enjoying a service all the year round, the Govern- 

 ment determined to utilise the telephone the employment of 

 which does not call for any special skill for this purpose; and, on 

 the towns agreeing to bear the cost of warming and lighting and 

 to find persons satisfactory to themselves to act as operators, some 

 of these fishing wires were brought into acceptable use during the 

 winter. Others, which happened to connect towns or districts in 

 which local telephone exchanges had been established, were 

 handed over to the telephone companies to serve as trunk lines 

 conditionally on the companies agreeing to transmit telegrams 

 for non-subscribers, when required, at the State tariff rates. In 

 this matter again the Norwegian Government showed a happy 

 adaptation to special circumstances and a freedom from red-tapeism 

 which cannot be too highly commended. 



The latest telephonic development in Norway is the inter- 

 national trunk line to Stockholm. 



The subscribers who use this are already on metallic circuits ; 

 all others throughout Norway are as yet connected with their 

 exchanges by single wires, but the Christiania Company has 



