324 Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



mummy for a series of years, with results creditable to himself and 

 beneficial to the public and all concerned, may be succeeded by 

 one of quite another stamp, desirous only of pursuing as unevent- 

 ful a career as is compatible with the retention of his office ; or, 

 worse still, by one who expends his energy in combating instead 

 of fostering the requirements of the community. It is not con- 

 ceivable that the principles of promotion by seniority, or seniority 

 tempered by patronage, which prevail in so many countries can 

 produce any other result, for they open the doors to dullards, 

 routine-worshippers, red-tape and sealing-wax champions, and 

 others who, good enough men in their own small way, are not de- 

 signed by nature to lead or initiate. On the other hand, commer- 

 cial companies which have to contend with competition, which can 

 only exist by earning dividends, and which have a day of reckoning 

 at least once a year cannot afford to tolerate triflers or idlers. Pro- 

 motion with them should be, and generally is, by seniority tem- 

 pered by proved ability to keep abreast of the times : if inadver- 

 tently a round peg gets into a square hole he cannot catch on, 

 and is soon shunted by the force of the circumstances which 

 he cannot control. The smart official looks after the shareholders' 

 dividends, and the competition looks after the public. The only 

 exception is when a company has a rich monopoly which cannot 

 be spoiled even by bad management. Such a company, by force 

 of its monopoly, may do well for itself ; but it will not, unless 

 directed by an enlightened and superior man, do well for its cus- 

 tomers, whom, as likely as not, it will regard in the light of 

 enemies, to be snubbed and repressed on every occasion : it is, 

 in fact, liable to all the abuses and drawbacks of a Government 

 department. 



When a commencement was made with the new order of 

 things in Spain it became apparent that the Government's idea of 

 how to foster a telephonic development commensurate with the 

 exigencies of modern life was to put the various towns up to 

 auction and knock them down to the company or person willing 

 to part with the greatest proportion of the gross receipts to the 

 State, no offer of less than 10 per cent, being entertained under 

 any circumstances. At the same time, to safeguard the interests 

 of the public (so it was said), a scale of maximum charges was pre- 



