Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Second part - XIII. Internal Communications - 6. Telephone Service - The State Telephone, by C. Lundgren, Amanuensis at the Board of Telegraphs - Private Telephone Companies, by Rev. I. Kiellman- Göranson, Stockholm
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TELEGRAPH SERVICE.
1015
lines of all the subscribers running to one united exchange and being attended
there. The »Cail-distributing-system» invented by Mr. J. A. Avert, of the State
Telephone in Stockholm, permits of a call being expedited by the telephonist for
the moment least occupied, and has given very good results as the two greatest
exchanges where it is used. Underground conduits of cement blocs — originally
invented by Mr. C. A. Hultman, director of the State telephone exchange in
Stockholm and afterwards introduced at several places abroad — are used to a
great extent.
Till 1903, the Riksdag has voted money for the erection of the trunk
lines, but for others, loans of public funds have been employed, obtained
at the usual rate of interest, and to be sunk, as a rule, in a short period
(12 years). The financial result of the telephone operations of the State
is shown by the following figures. Since the beginning of the State
telephone system up to 1902 inclusive, the gross receipts have amounted
to 33,994,339 kronor *, of which 16,524,176 kronor were used for
working-expenses, and 2,416,252 kronor have been paid as interest on capital.
The surplus, 15,053,911 kronor, has been employed, partly to the
amortization of loans (5,676,500 kronor), and partly to the extension of the
telephone net (9,377,411 kronor).
From 1903 the State Telegraph and Telephone systems of Sweden
have received a new organization. The main features of this
organization are: that the telegraph and telephone services have been completely
amalgamated, that the accounts for the two services are kept jointly,
that the established staff has been considerably augmented, that loans
of public funds are to be employed also for the construction of telephone
trunk lines, that the loans are taken for longer periods (20 years, as a
rule), and that the net profit of the telegraph and telephone service
has to go to the Exchequer Department.
Private Telephone Companies.
We have already (p. 1010) spoken about the origin of these
companies in Sweden, and how the greater number of them afterwards
passed into the possession of the State. It now remains to give a short
account of the largest and most important of the private companies
still remaining, or those in Stockholm.
The private telephone lines of Stockholm are, at the present time,
in the hands of two companies which work together, the Bell Company,
previously mentioned, being the elder of the two.
The Bell Company was formed in 1880, principally with American capital,
and used at first only American material. Its fees were pretty high (160 kronor
in the City proper, 240—280 kronor in the rest of Stockholm *). The prices
produced competition, and so the Stockholm General Telephone Co., Ltd.
(Stock-holms Allmänna Telefonaktiebolag) was formed in 1883, upon the initiative of
* A krona = 110 shilling or 0 268 dollar.
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