382 Telephone Systems of tJie Continent of Europe 



7. Connection of private groups of subscribers to an existing 

 trunk or junction wire. This is another service which owes its 

 initiation to the anxiety of the Government to bring the telephone 

 to, or rather within, the doors of all. It provides for the wants 

 of a community which has not yet attained to the dignity of a 

 parish council. One or more persons resident on, or near to, a 

 route of poles carrying trunk or junction telephone wires, except- 

 ing trunks intended for the direct service of important towns, 

 may, if not numerous enough to justify the establishment for their 

 benefit of a regular exchange, claim a connection with the system, 

 either by means of an automatic commutator looped into, or 

 tapped off, a wire going to the nearest ordinary exchange, or by 

 means of a small switch-board placed in the house of one of them, 

 or in that of a competent person, and attended to at the expense 

 of the subscribers participating in the benefits secured. The 

 State erects the wires, switch-board, instruments, &c., in return 

 for the usual subscriptions, while the subscribers find house room, 

 and do, or pay for, their own switching. They may talk amongst 

 themselves without stint, but conversations over the connecting 

 wire to the nearest regular exchange are subject to the 800 com- 

 munications per annum rule. This service is widely patronised. 

 It is not by any means a desirable one from the point of view of 

 the telephone engineer, as it introduces complications and deriva- 

 tions inimical to the best talking and promptest switching ; but 

 when the convenience of the people living in out-of-the-way 

 localities is considered, it is worthy of the highest commendation. 

 The automatic commutators are not so numerous (there are only 

 some fifteen in use) as ordinary switch-boards operated by hand, 

 but they are the best of their kind (Cedergren and Ericsson's). 



8. Public telephone stations. These are very numerous, and 

 may be divided into two classes : (i) those provided specially by 

 the State at telegraph and railway stations, and the premises of 

 non-subscribers ; and (2) those at the orifices of subscribers who, 

 after having their premises approved as suitable, have contracted 

 with the State to place their instruments at the disposal of all 

 applicants in consideration of a commission on each sum collected. 

 The public stations are available not only for speaking to sub- 

 scribers in the same or other towns, but for the forwarding of 



