Switzerland 381 



or French languages except in the Italian-speaking cantons, where 

 Italian is also admitted. 



5. Telephonogram service. This facility, unknown to the 

 National Telephone Company's subscribers in Great Britain, but 

 largely patronised in many continental countries, is in Switzerland 

 called officially the ' phonogram ' service. It enables any sub- 

 scriber using his own telephone, or any non-subscriber from a 

 public one, to dictate a message to the operator addressed to any 

 non-subscriber resident in the same town or district, which is 

 written down like a telegram and delivered to the addressee by 

 messenger. Telephonograms are subject to the same regulations 

 respecting language as telegrams. 



6. Parochial telephone stations. An important feature of the 

 Swiss telephone system is the parochial or communal office. It is 

 no longer peculiar to Switzerland, having been adopted, with 

 modifications, by France ; but it originated there in the anxiety 

 of the Government to make the people, as far as economically 

 possible, participators in the public institutions, and in pursuance 

 of the idea of utilising the telephone as a feeder of the telegraph. 

 It enables a parish or commune without a telegraph or telephone 

 station to provide itself with these conveniences in the following 

 manner: The parish council undertakes to pay the State 120 

 francs (4/. i6s.) per annum for a wire to the nearest telegraph 

 station or telephone exchange, the charge being increased by 

 25-. 5*/. for each 100 meters in excess of two kilometers. The 

 council provides a suitable room or office for its station, and pays 

 the wages of the necessary operators and messengers, both office 

 and servants being subject to approval by the State. The public 

 may use the station as an ordinary telegraph or telephone office, 

 paying 1*44^. on each telegram sent or conversation had, in addi- 

 tion to the ordinary tariff, which 1-44^. is the property of the 

 parish council and goes towards covering its expenses. No charge 

 is made on delivered telegrams within the ordinary free delivery 

 radius. The facility is largely taken advantage of, there being nine 

 parochial stations in the vicinity of Berne alone. When the traffic 

 has grown sufficiently to justify such a course, the State takes over 

 the station, and relieves the parish council of further responsibility. 



