The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-07
STREET IN BERN,

stage as regards Switzerland. but I h.li.v
that It viii he a complete success.
Our Government il taking in the rail
roads. W. have already three of the fv
principal lines, and We shall in time acGuir,
the remainder.
DO not want to make money out o
the railroads. nor by them to increase tn,
Government revenues.
We are operating them for the good o.
the people.
The earnings will be applied to imp-ov.
Ing the service. extending the lines and tc
rh"apening transportation.
This we are now doing, and we can con.
tiaHe 10 do 50 and at the same time make
such a profit that the whole cost OF tn
ROADS and the interest upon the debt viii
pe paid back within sixty years.
Inc roads then belong to the Govern.
| ment free of n~CumbraHce.'
President Zemp told mo something as to
the extent of the roads.
There are now about $50 miles OF rails
and 20 miles Of tramways.
chc OF the queer propositions In resar I'd
TO the lines il to run them by electricity.
AZ now constituted the roads require 81.
Os horse power.
1t is estimated that double that power
VIII lie needed for a hich-tension alter
httihS electric current system.
Inc engineers have already figured upon
Ii, and they find that there are tweuty-one
waterfalls in the Alps already used for
VI 'Nni Sr4ttIdAIOn, HHltl can Irn1.vrA
1919 horse power.
The engineers estimate that IL would taxa
S9,vr,"D 10 apply this power to the rail-
roads, and that in addition il could run
numerous factories.
COAL Is IMPORTED
tKDM ENGLAND.
At present Switzerland Is operating her
roads with coal brought in from England
and the continent.
she Is thus entirely dependent upon out
side countries. and il her foreign coal sup
ply was cut OH her railroads would stop.
The matter is "A very important ore.
! understand some # the parties Inter-
eSted have applied TO the Government for
the right to build an electric standard
gauge railway twelve miles long for ex-
periiEeataI purposes.
This will pronabiy be granted, and, II a
success. it may be that the waterfalls OF
the Alps will haul the trains UP and GCwn
the sides of the mountains.
Switzerland iincs that it pays tt. Govern
'feIt 10 own the telephones and teie-
graphs.
President Zernp told RE hat they were
operated without difficulty. and that the
Government administration q them mad
proved satisfactory.
IN" telephones here are connected with
the Post once department, and almost
every post office is d telegraph oriice as
well.
The country is small, but It has 3fs CEN
tral stations and more than 81, 100 miles Of
wire.
in 1870 there were more than q, J1. QUO con-
~veIsatioIis, ana the telephone receipts were
more than double those of the teIegrauh.
amounting to $1,000.
IhIs Is 50, Notwithstanding the teIcphone
rates arc among the lowest OF the world.
Frr certain distances II costs You less
than a cent a message.
This IS the charge III towns and cities.
You can have a telephone in your house
or business place foT from $40 to $50 a
year. ana you can send a oag-distance
message 10 any part OF Switzerland for I5
cents.
The telegraphs are equally cheap.
y message costs you 8 cents as a ground
tax. and in addition only ! cent for every
two words that Is. a message OF ten words
10 any part of Switzerland costs II cents.
a message of twenty words Is cents and
Of fifty words 81 cents.
II costs only > cents a word to telegraph
from here to Germany or France, in addi-
uon to the 10 cents, which is the ground
tax charge for the foreign service.
TELEGRAMS AT TWO
WORDS FOR A CENT.
Telephones have been used in Switzerland
for more than twenty years.
Inc Bel telephone was the first instituted.
but after that the swiss began to make
telephones OF their own.
The Government .Ook charge Of the ser
vice in 1885. buying the instruments and
wires of the private companies.
The usual number of calls now allowed Is
TO each subscriber. and all beyond that