Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - X. Internal Communications - 6. Telephones. Introd. by E. Halling - State Telephones. By E. Halling - Private Telephone Companies. By K. F. Wincrantz
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656
X. INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS.
still represented by sites, recently bought and not yet built on, or
buildings, not yet ready or not wholly taken into use.
Private Telephone Companies.
Mention has already been made (cf. above) of 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 existing,
i. e., those in Stockholm.
The private telephone lines of Stockholm and the surrounding district
are at present in the hands of the Stockholm Telephone Company, Ltd
which, on January 1, 1908, purchased the Swedish telephone lines of
the two then existing and co-operating telephone companies -— the
Stockholm General Telephone Company, Ltd and the Stockholm Bell
Telephone Company, Ltd.
The Bell Company was established in 1880, chiefly with American capital, and
at first, employed only American material. Its charges, however, were so high
(160 kronor for "the city within the bridges"; 240—280 kronor in the rest of
Stockholm) that the general public could not make any great use of this new means
of communication. Representations were therefore made urging a lowering of the
tariff and, when no attention was paid to this demand, there was formed in
1883, on the initiative of H. T. Cedergren, C. E., — whose services in
connection with the development of the telephone-system of Sweden are deserving
of the very greatest praise — the Stockholm General Telephone Company
whose object was stated to be "to establish and carry on
telephone-commu-nication within Stockholm and with other districts, on terms as low as the
security of the financial position of the company would permit". The tariff
of the new company for subscribers having sole right to a wire was fixed at
100 kronor for the whole of Stockholm, but other, lower rates of
subscription were soon introduced. Both the companies mentioned continued to
exist and extend their operations until the year 1885, when Stockholm
possessed, not only relatively but also absolutely, the greatest number of
telephone-subscribers of any city in the world. After the date mentioned, the number
of subscribers to the Bell Company diminished more and more, and, at the
close of the "eighties", the majority of its shares were purchased by the General
Company, and, in 1892, the wires of the Bell Company were reserved for
the home-telephone service alone.
The General Telephone Company grew rapidly, not only within the capital
but also in the country districts in the immediate neighbourhood of
Stockholm. In addition to this, a telephone service was established at
Söderhamn and Jönköping, and long-distance lines connected the capital with
Norrköping. The Company also entertained the idea of erecting long-distance lines
to Gothenburg in order to place the lines of private telephone companies
there in connection with Stockholm, but the application for the concession,
which was made in 1888, was refused by the Government. The steadily
increasing difficulties that were raised against the work of the Company in
Stockholm soon made it desirable for a definite agreement to be made regarding
the territory within which the Company should enjoy an indisputed right to carry
on its business. Consequently, after negotiations with the Board of the State
Telegraphs, an agreement was drawn up which, later on, was approved by
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