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XIX. ROUMANIA 



THE Government has assumed the exclusive care of telephone 

 exchanges in Roumania, and has most wisely determined to adopt 

 the metallic circuit throughout. Exchanges have been opened in 

 Bucharest, Braila, Galatz, and Crajowa ; but development halts, 

 there being only some 100 members at Bucharest after nearly two 

 years' working. This disappointing result may perhaps be most 

 reasonably ascribed to the tariff in operation, which, everything 

 considered, is probably the most illiberal in Europe. Three trunk 

 lines have been put into use between Braila and Galatz, one 

 being an exclusively telephonic metallic loop, and the other two 

 adaptations of Van Rysselberghe's system to existing telegraph 

 wires. Braila and Galatz also speak to Bucharest on a duplex 

 line. The capital has likewise communication with Ploesti and 

 Sinaia, in which towns there are public telephone stations, but no 

 exchanges. The subscribers' sets of instruments comprise trans- 

 mitter, two receivers, bell, and lightning protector. 



SERVICES AND TARIFFS 



i. Local exchange communication. Payments come under 

 three headings : (a) contribution to the cost of the line and instru- 

 ment ; (b) annual subscription ; (c) charge for conversations 

 originated exceeding 1,000 per annum. These again vary with 

 the location, inside or out of the fortifications, of the subscriber. 



The contribution on joining amounts to 6/., which is payable 

 in four quarterly sums of i/. IDS. 



