322 Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



XXI. SERVIA 



THE State has reserved to itself the power to establish and work 

 telephone exchanges, but, so far, none has been opened. Still 

 a law regulating tariffs and general conditions has been prepared, 

 and as soon as it has received the sanction of the legislature a 

 commencement will be made with a central station at Belgrade. 

 But the State, for official purposes, has erected metallic circuits 

 of 3 mm. bronze between Belgrade and Nisch (250 kilometers), 

 which line is in course of extension to Sibervcz, a further distance 

 of 125 kilometers. These lines and a few others, which bring the 

 total existing length up to 322 kilometers, will be available as 

 trunks when the exchange system comes into operation. Most of 

 the work has been carried out for the State by Mr. J. Berliner, of 

 Hanover, through his agent in Vienna, Mr. Hax Hahn ; and the 

 instruments used are the Berliner transmitter with double-pole 

 Bell receivers and magnetos. There are also twenty-four kilo- 

 meters of private lines in Servia. Such lines require a licence from 

 the Minister of Commerce, and have to pay an annual tax of i/. i2s. 

 for every three kilometers, or less, of wire erected, and of 2/. Ss. 

 if the length exceeds three and is not more than eight kilometers. 



