The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-01

From the y. Y. Herald European Edition.
For 400f, If you arc e resident OF Paris,
you have the use OF private telephone
Tor one year, during which period the
instrument is keptin order by the State.
AT Lyons tho rate IS cheaper stell-3OOf.
ana where overhead wires are in use
even lower, Thus, when the population
II over twenty ve thousand the RI 70 is
3Uoi, below t"onty five thousand 1907.
per annum.
These arc figures tho victims of the
American monopoly Will lind hard to
digest. Threo years ago, when Paris
was also under tho yoke OF a monopoly.
whose rates, however, did not como nolr
the Bell Company's charges, tho outcry
was so general that the government took
tho telephones in it's own bands.
spent an hour with n. Berthot, chief
eng moor of the French telephone sys.
TEN. lie was not surprised when told
him the American rates or to hear that
the American company paid dividend
OF over six ana q half MILAN francs in
1892
"Wcll it might" said he, and then ne
gave me some indications as TO the
privileges OF the French subscrib ,rs
IAN example will best explain what
we call supplementary subscription"
he said. 1.-The concierge of your house
has telephone A on the first floor, Il on
the second and so on to the sixth You
can have switch connecting with the
telephone in the concierge's lodge by
payment of only 16Of. year in Paris
or l20i IN the provinces. large firm
or shop can likewise have .tohes in
every department at the Same rate.
Clubs or other public establishments
are charged fifty per cant above the
usual rate.
"Of course the subscriber is allowed
TO use postotiice tele phones without
extra payments, non subscribers paving
fifty confines for five minutes CONVEX.
sation. Then subscribers can have
kilograms dispatched and forwarded
over their private telephone by com.
municating with the postofflce at the
ordinary cost Of telegram
Did the city of Paris allow the over.
head wires" continued M. Bcrthot,
1.-The rates would be lower
! next saw NJ. Caubin, chief of the
financial department of the telephone
administration, who said:
Three years age was sent to exam
inc the telephone system. | would
rather not express an opinion regarding
the American rates, for that was not the
subject of my investigation, will say,
however, that so far as France is con.
cerned even at our rates the telephone
administration is not drain on the bud.
get, despite the great expenses of lay
ing new lines necessary in the country
where the telephone is now an institu-
ton. In due time with extension the
habit OF using the telephone will become
general and the receipts will increase
ana possibly reducsi lion OF rates might
follow.
Overhead lines bring handsome
profit. We have copied the American
system to a large extent. Germany las
done so altogether. The German system
is probably the best in Europe. don't
know exactly what the German rates
are, but believe about the same az the
French
Besides the annual charge of the
government the French subscriber has
an initial expense of the purchase OF a
receiver, but this is small. At tho
Compagnie Generate des Telephones |
learned that 4 receiver, with an electric
alarm, &c, complete, costs only GER.