The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-04-26
Cheap 5eIephoni1g
System Brought to Great Ehcienc, in
SWeden.

- n NO country in Europe is the tele-
phone brought to such a pitch Of
perfection as In Sweden, where the
instrument enters into the daily life
of the people in a manner that
would cause unbounded establishment in
TINS country. There are two classes Of
telephone in use-the "Riks" or govern
ment variety, and the "Allmanna," or gen.
eral. These latter are subdivided into.
three further varieties-the Star telO-
phone, which costs 5 pounds los per an;
mum; the ordinary telephone at lis a year
| for five years after installation, plus g.
pounds Gs per annum for use; after FIVE
years, however. the Ills a year ceases. ana
the third variety of the general telephone
is the District which costs only
pounds year. The cost of the Riks, or
government telephone, is pounds 16s a
year; and here are the distances and call
charges for these Instruments:
Up to sixty miles outside Stockholm, I'd
for every three minutes.
Over sixty to $50 miles. id for three
| minutes.
One hundred and fifty to 800 miles,
6 sd for three minutes.
From 800 to $40 miles, 10d for three
minutes.
Over so miles. Is 11ad for three nsr-
| utes.
! 1t must be understood that these rates
| apply to Sweden only. In Norway the
! rates vary according to distance from
| 6 3-4d to IS Sd, and in Denmark from Is
B lid to 2s 3-4d for three minutes
| conversation. ..
, Now, with regard to the Allmanna. or
! "generaF' telephone. Within radius Of
/ forty miles of Stockholm these instru-
! ments may be used free, but beyond this
| distance Riks must be used;p and to con-
meet with the Riks from your own ALI
mamma apparatus a charge of Id Is
made inside the city, while the ordinary
Riks charges prevail outside. Accounts
for transfers from one variety of instru-
ment to another are rendered every quar-
! ter. The Star and ordinary telephones
may be used as often as you please. but
| the District variety Is limited to a hum
4 dred calls in quarter, after which lid
| is payable for each message. The Star
telephone is always found in the Offices
of big shops, SO that the user of the
| ordinary District instrument can transact
his business with merchants and trades
people Of every kind without in any way
int erfering with HIS own hundred quar-
/ terly conversations. Distracted usekgagf
/ the telephone in London will be interested
Ito know that a reply is always forthcom-
| ing from the central station in about ten
seconds. :eE5E IT r. - Z
t. In Stockholm ladies hold quite long con-
versations with their friends by tele-
phone, and the man in the street can drop
into practically any shop and telephone
to any part of the city for 1-2d. Even
I;people in the country use telephones to an
extent almost incredible to us. and prac-
:tically every village has its own telephone
| station.
The Rev. Edward Shepherd, chaplain
to our legation in Stockholm, writes as
| follows:
my cooks parents live in a small vii
i lage about fifteen miles from here Stock
1 holm, and if she wants to speak to them
she simply goes to the telephone and
rings up, the village grocer's shop. Then
i the people there send for the woman's
relatives to come and speak to her on the
i wire. s+5sg $3.50 e
II suppose, . Mr. Shepherd goes on e
i say, 8. that our English church here IN
i STOCKHOLM Is one Of che few In the world
which has on Its notice board the chap
Il aims telephone number. It works quite
Il well. for if people are absent from church
j on Sunday the telephone can be operated
lon Monday to Inquire IL they are i'll. =
Almost everybody In Sweden. and par
Iticularly IN the city OF Stockholm, turns
naturally to the telephone, and II one Is
Iaway from home and Is suddenly recalled
whether the servants are In or out. The
anparatns used is very simple. and the