388 Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



Subscribers who permit their instruments to be used as public 

 stations are remunerated by being allowed to retain of these 

 charges the whole of the amount for local talks up to 800, and 

 half thereafter, together with the whole of the surcharges accruing 

 on internal trunk talks, telegrams, and telephonograms. When the 

 State arranges for a public station on the premises of a non-sub- 

 scriber, that person keeps half the receipts for local talks and the 

 surcharges on the others. Keepers of public stations may, if they 

 make satisfactory arrangements for the purpose, also receive, write 

 down, and deliver telegrams and telephonograms addressed to per- 

 sons in their neighbourhood, in which case they get '96^. for each 

 message delivered. Public stations are never established in inns 

 or restaurants. Automatic boxes for checking payments are not 

 used. Subscribers enjoy no preferential treatment. Telegrams 

 and telephonograms have to be handed in written out, and are tele- 

 phoned forward by the attendant, not by the sender personally. 



WAY-LEAVES 



The position of the State in the matter of way-leaves is defined 

 by the law of June 26, 1889, which provides : 



1. That the State has the right to use all public lands and 



places for the placing of telephone wires on paying for 

 damage done, but must not do anything inconsistent with 

 the purpose to which such public place is devoted. 



2. That the State may pass wires without attachments over 



private property, provided the presence of such wires does 

 not prejudicially affect the property. 



3. No work must be done on public or private property with 



out arriving at an understanding with the authorities or 

 proprietors concerned. In the event of dispute the Federal 

 Council will decide, if necessary on the advice of indepen- 

 dent experts. 



4. Proprietors of trees must cut any branches which interfere 



with State telephone lines. Notice that cutting is neces- 

 sary to be given to proprietors through the local authority. 

 If no notice is taken within eight days, the State may itself 

 cut the branches. 



