Norway 289 



pany wants the wire. The payment to the State to compensate 

 for loss of telegraph traffic is borne by the different companies 

 proportionately to the number of messages originating with each. 

 Trunk talks may be booked several hours in advance, and this 

 plan is in common use. If a called subscriber proves not to be 

 in, the caller has to pay the unit trunk charge all the same, but is 

 allowed a second inquiry later in the day, when, if his man is then 

 in, he obtains a connection without further payment. 



3. International trunk line communication. This is at 

 present, and, owing to the geographical situation of Norway, is 

 likely to be for a long time, restricted to the metallic circuit trunk 

 line to Stockholm. The length of the line is about 325 miles, 

 and the tariff 15-. >d. per three minutes, a rate which is found to 

 produce a satisfactory traffic. The line has been erected by the 

 Norwegian and Swedish State telegraph departments within their 

 respective territories, but on the Norwegian side it is worked 

 by the Christiania Telephone Company. By agreement with the 

 State, only those subscribers who have special metallic circuits 

 are allowed to be connected to the trunk. There are already 

 seventy such metallic circuits (for which an additional subscription 

 of 3/. 6s, 9</. per annum is charged) in Christiania. To cover 

 operating and administrative expenses the State pays the company 

 \'()d. on each international trunk talk originating in Norway; 

 but, on the other hand, the company must make all connections 

 demanded from Sweden gratis. 



4. Telephoning of telegrams to the State telegraph office. 

 This is practised very largely, and is conducted by the company's 

 employees, who attend at the State telegraph office for the pur- 

 pose and who are sworn to observe secrecy. They write down 

 and hand to the Government clerks messages dictated to them 

 through the telephone, and receive from the Government clerks, 

 and telephone on, messages destined for the subscribers, copies of 

 which are afterwards delivered by messenger. Non-subscribers 

 may forward telegrams in this manner from the public telephone 

 stations, which thus become branch telegraph offices, the use of 

 which, however, entails payment of the company's charges in 

 addition to the ordinary telegram tariff. The State pays the 

 Christiania Company an annual subsidy of 27 /. 15^. 5^. in respect 



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