Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-12-29
Telephones.

According to a pamphlet Just issued
by the International Telephone Com
pany of Paris there are log cities in the
world furnished with that latest adjunct
of modern civilization, the telephone.
OF these 92 arc located in the United
States, 46 in Great Britain, II in Italy,
10 in Germany eight in France, six in
Belgium, three each in Austro- Hungary,
Russia, Switzerland and British India,
two each in the Netherlands, and one
each in Denmark, Sweden and Mexico.
This is apretty good showing consider
ing the very short time that the tele-
phone has been in practical use. The
total number of subscribers to the tele-
phone exchanges in these 152 cities are
56, S99, of whom the United States have
81. 1879. or nearly two-thirds, the other
third being scattered over the globe as
follows: Great Britain, 4, ,946; France,
3,640; Italy, 2,902; Germany, 1922;
Belgium, 2156; Austro- Hungary, $40;
Sweden, 672; Switzerland; 621; Den
mark, $685. Mexico, 800; Russia, 23S;
British India, 213; Egypt, 1873; and the
Netherlands, ISL. The statistics for the
United States are rather behind date,
having been gathered chiefly during last
ouis buo thooO iOl VIC OuU-
side the United States are much more
recent and therefore much more re-
liable.
The contrasts presented between the
extent to which the telephone is used
hero and between its use elsewhere
would, therefore, be even more violent
were the present figures of our own ex-
changes TO be used instead of those of a
year ago. Those of London represent
the degree to which the telephone was
employed ON the 9th of March last.
There were then l,561 subscribers in a
district having population of 4,764,-
900. In the district served by the Met
ropolitan Telephone Company, which
includes New York City. Brooklyn and
Hoboken, and having population OF
1,942, ,000 or about forty per cent. OF
the London district. there were in MAY,
1881, 1000 subscribers, SO that if Lon
don were supplied at the same rate as
New York was then it would have now
about 10000 instruments instead of this
beggarly 1861.
Berlin, which now has population
almost as large as New York City, has
951 instruments, which is consdera-
ahead of Berlin, there being 2,442 tele-
phones in operation there in u district
estimated to contain 1000, 900. In Italy
it appears to be quite popular, there be-
ing 475 subscribers in Rome, which has
population Of only 289,000; 40 in
Turin, population 231 ,00G; 1877 in Flor
ence, population 145. 600; 1856 in Bolog-
na, population 292. 900; 118 in Vienna,
population $4,000; and 80 in Naples,
population 458,000, the latter only be-
ing twice as well supplied-dif difference
in population being consdered-as Lon
don, while Rome is fully as well supplied
as New York.
In the Russian Empire the three
places where the telephone has been in
troduced are st. Petersburg, Moscow
and Odessa. The former has 1874 out of
the 227 instruments, the other two hay
ing sixty-siX and twenty-seven, re-
spectively. Vienna, Pesth and Trieste
are the three Austrian cities into which
it has made its way. Vienna has but
600 subscribers, although the district
has n population falling but about 200,-
900 short of that of New York City. In
Belgium some of the smaller cities are
remarkably well supplied with instru-
ments, Charleroi, which has but 10. 900
inhabitants, having $50 of them, which
is almost as many as Leadville had
when il was OF the same size.
The lines are operated by private
companies everywhere excepting in
Germany and Switzerland, in both of
which States the Government has re-
served to itself the exclusive privilege
| nf cnnctrt,nt ,,nr onI ,ua,ly ;nr. tbn,,, u.
B1lgium the Government reserves the
right 10 take possession of them at any
time ON payment of fair price. In
Great Britain the concession is for
thirty-3ne years, in Austria for ton
years, and in Hungary for twenty
years. In Russia each line receives a
special concession; in Italy the con-
cessions run for thirty years subject to
renewal, but the Government regulates
the rates under certain restrictions; in
Denmark the concession is for twelve
years; while In Sweden all that is neces-
sary is to make an amicable arrange
ment with the telegraph people.
The liberality, or the contrary, dis
played by the different Governments in
granting permission to construct the
lines is doubtless one of the principal
reasons for the abundance or the paucity
of telephone Instruments; but other
causes, such as concentration of popula-
tion, which enables merchants to &c
from one house TO another without any
loss of time, and, above all. national en-.
terprise, have their influence. IN Y
Grdphie.
AS way OF emphasizing their ar.
gument radical members at Milan smasl