The Topeka state journal., 1903-05-29
TELEPHONES IN SWEDEN.
More Subscribers Than in New York
and Chicago Com bined.

Stockholm, May 29-Probably the
nrst thing which visitor to Stockholm
remarks after his arrival is the appaI-
ling number of telephones scattered
about the hotel in the corridors and
Eooms. In his bedroom he viii perhaps
ind one. and just outside the door an
other. He cannot move twenty steps
without discovering a new one. While.
when he gees out into the streets he
will see little shelters, each of which
holds an instrument.
If his washerwoman does not send
the linen back punctually he rings her
UP to ask the reason. If he wants COM
pany at dinner or lunch he invites a
friend through the telephone. 1t is here,
there, and everywhere
In Stockholm there are more subscrib-
ers to the telephone than there are in
New York and Chicago together. 1t is
used very advantageously in the rapid
discharge Of work by the state authori-
ties.
There are arrangements made by
which telegrams, instead of being sent
to the house are communicated per
telephone to the receiver direct from the
postonice.
But the system is not confined to
Stockholm. The whole of Sweden is
covered with a network of cables and
wires. AT short notice it is possible to
converse with Haparanda, in the north,
sixty miles beyond the railway term
mus, or with Malmo, in the extreme
south
At the present time larger wires
are being laid in the north When this
task is completed and the trunk lines
are in full working order again 1T Will
be possible to carry on a conversation
with the utmost ease between Victoria
Hafen. on the Arctic ocean, and Mos
COW. Berlin or Paris.
In short the telephone system of
communication has been carried to the
highest pitch of perfection in the Scan
dinaVian peninsula
But even now it cannot be said that
the system has attained it's greatest
dimensions if one is to judge from last
years figures, from which it appears
that no fewer than 1900 fresh installa-
tions were made in Sweden, the majori-
ty in and around the capital
Almost every village is connected by
telephone with its nearest neighbors,
even in such distant parts as Lapland.
Thanks to the courtesy of the manag-
ing director of the General Telephone
company of Stockholm. I was enabled
to obtain some interesting particulars
of the size and working of this enorm-
Gus system.
At the present time there are only two
really big telephone companies in Swe-
den the General Telephone company
and the National Telephone company, a
government concern.
The former has about $4,000 subscrib-
ers, and its system is confined to a ra-
dius of 10 miles from Stockholm Over
the rest of the land the government has
a monopoly of the telephones.
Within the I0-mile radius Of the capi-
tai there are only IL. 900 subscribers to
the government company. but outside
the radius $4,000 more have joined the
system.
A certain amount Of rivalry naturally
exists between the two companies in
Stockholm. with the result that the cazl
of the telephone is cheaper there thar
in any other city in the world.
The General Telephone compa ny
charges SO for the installation of the ap-
paratus in a private dwelling. and
thereafter an annual charge of $40. In
business houses where more than one
instrument is required. the cost varie'
from SIS to S25. The government, on the
other hand. charges S12 50 per annurn
and no installation See, without any dis
tinction between private dwellings and
business houses.
Both companies charge extra for Ions
distance communications, and also foi