58 BERLIN : A STUDY OF 



than thirty dollars. The long-distance service between 

 the principal cities of the empire is being rapidly intro- 

 duced. By reason of the telephone being a part of the 

 postal-service, patrons are afforded conveniences beyond 

 those enjoyed by us in the land where the Bell Telephone 

 Company is earning profits of 30 per cent, annually. A 

 telegram received for a person who has a telephone is at 

 once delivered orally from the central office, and the writ- 

 ten message then forwarded by the local post. Likewise 

 a telegram is transmitted by the sender to the telegraph 

 office by telephone. The telephones in use are manufact- 

 ured by Siemens & Halske, the great electricians, and are 

 said to be a great improvement upon the Bell patent, upon 

 which they are based. 



The efficiency of the German postal-service, with its 

 branches of telegraph, telephone, pneumatic tube and par- 

 cel post, is a sufficient reply to the assertions that the con- 

 venience of the public cannot be so well met as by private 

 corporations having control of the various means of inter- 

 course. Postmaster General Stefan is always on the look- 

 out for opportunities for improvement, and is quick to seize 

 upon any new means afforded by modern inventions for 

 increasing the efficiency of the service. The Imperial Pos- 

 tal Museum in Berlin is a most interesting place to visit. 

 Here can be seen models of all the various devices used in 

 the service, as well as a valuable historical collection illus- 

 trating postal intercourse from the earliest times. Postal 

 administration is regarded in Germany as a practical science 

 in itself, and no means is neglected to promote the interest 

 of members of the service in its study. At the postal 

 museum there is one of Edison's original phonographs, 

 and a high official of the service told me that the depart- 

 ment was anxious to secure one of the improved ones at 

 the earliest possible moment, in order to see what use 



