sive correspondence, which make use of this means for receiving and despatching
telegrams, from and to the Central telegraph station.
During 1913, the Telegraph Service opened a local “news ticker” service in
Stockholm, of which the apparatus was also supplied by Siemens & Halske, the
central station being on the premises of the Svenska Telegram byràn (Swedish
Press Agency). The subscribers to this service receive, day and night, news
and notices which are type-printed on a paper-tape by the apparatus.
The inland telegraph rates, which, at first, were in proportion to the length of
the wire or the distance between the stations, were made uniform, from the
year 1865, for the whole kingdom, and, until 1889, the rate was 1 krona
for telegrams, of 20 words with an additional 25 ore for every additional 5
words. From the beginning of the year last mentioned, the rate was fixed at
5 ore per word, with a minimum rate of 50 ore per telegram, while, from
the beginning of 1907, the minimum rate was lowered to 25 ore per telegram.
For the sake of comparison, it may be mentioned that the existing rate fee for a
5-word telegram is, in the following countries: in Sweden, 25 ore; Denmark, 50
ore; Great Britain, 6d; France 50 centimes; Norway 50 ore; Switzerland, 45
centimes; Germany, 50 pfennig; Austria 60 heller. Special, lower fees have
been fixed in Sweden for local telegrams, press-messages, and for telegrams
to and from the Telegraph Service’s stations on Gottland, during the period
when the regular postal communications with this island are interrupted by
storms, etc.
The rates for telegrams to abroad, which depend on the number of national
telegraph administrations thè telegram has to pass and on the fees which have
to be paid to these departments, have, during the course of time, been repeatedly
lowered, especially to countries with which Sweden has commercial intercourse
of any importance. From the middle of 1912, there has existed a deferred
telegram service with half rates for extra-European messages in plain language;
agreements have been made with a large number of countries for lowering the
charges for press-messages to half rates.. A night letter-telegram service, with
a/ó of full rate charges, has existed since the beginning of 1914, between Sweden
and Denmark.
As regards the transmission of telegrams, it may be mentioned that,, during
1913, the number of inland telegrams amounted to 2 053 647; of foreign, tèrminal
telegrams from Sweden to abroad, to 733 426, and to Sweden from abroad,
to 857 168; transit telegrams to 115 5 038, or, together 4,799 279 paid telegrams.
The number of paid . telegrams which passed over the railway telegraph lines:
only amounted in 1913 to 94 685. Th e total number of paid telegrams from
or to Swedish stations, or via Sweden, thus amounted to 4 893 964.- Of the total
number of Sweden’s telegrams to or from abroad, those to and from Germany
amounted to 28'8 %; Great Britain 24‘e %; Denmark 11'6 /.; Norway 10'3
France 5*1 %; Russia, not including Finland, 4‘5 %; Finland 4‘2 %; the Netherlands
3 'i %; Belgium 1‘5 %; other European countries 3/9 % and extra-European
countries 2'6 %. The number of free telegrams (official and meteorological messages)
sent over the State telegraph wires was 294 274.
The total o f the telegram feeé received by Sweden for the telegrams forwarded
by the Telegraph Service amounted, in 1913,^ to 2 678 673 kronor; the total
income of the telegraph net (including the fees for the registration of telegraphic
addresses to an amount of 49 590 kronor; rent for telegraph wires, amounting to
30 448 kronor, etc.), came to 2 771 675 kronor. As the working expenses
amounted to 2 545 631 kronor, there was, .for the year mentioned, a surplus on
the income of the Telegraph Service of 226 045 kronor, or, 4'87 / of the
average capital employed during the year for the telegraph net, which amounted
to 4 642 582 kronor.
Wireless telegraphy is in process of rapid development at the present
time in Sweden. In 1910, was opened the first public coast station, erected
by the naval authorities at Karlskrona; in 1911, was opened the station
at Gothenburg, erected in common by the Naval and Telegraph
Service, which was afterwards taken over by the Telegraph Service; in
1912, was opened the wireless telegraph-station at Tralleborg for the
State Railways,, which, however, is only used for the transmission and
reception of messages to and from Sassnitz and the steamtrain-ferries
on the route between Tralleborg and Sassnitz, and, finally, in 1914,
a station at Yaxholm was opened for public service. Thus, exclusive of
a number of stations operated by the Navy or erected for instructional
purposes, there were, at the close of 1914, a total of four coast stations
open for public service. The number of shipstations, which, at the close
of 1912, was 42 had, by the close of 1914, increased to 63, of which
number 26 were on mercantile vessels and 37 on warships. Of the
former, there are stations for the use of the public on the Thule S/S Co’s
steamers “ Saga” and “Thule”, running between Gothenburg and London,
and on the two steam-ferries running between Tralleborg and Sassnitz
— although the two last-mentioned stations exchange telegrams only with
each other, and with the coast-stations at the two towns in question.
The other stations on mercantile vessels are intended principally for the
convenience of the shipping oompanies and vessels alone; the Naval shipstations
for naval correspondence alone.
The coast-stations are arranged on the Telefunken system, with musical spark
(tonende Funken), a system on the elaboration of which a Swedish engineer,
R- Rendahl, has expended much meritorious labour. The normal ranges by day
of each of these stations is 350 nautical miles, except that of Tralleborg, which
is about 250 nautical miles. The wireless system of the ship stations on trade
vessels is the Telefunken, except on 10 of them, where the Marconi system
is in use.
The fee for a radio-telegram is made up of the ordinary telegram charge
for despatch by wire, a coast charge, ’ which falls to the share of the
coast station, and a ' ship charge, which belongs to the ship station. For
the Swedish coast stations, the coast charge is 10 ore per word, with
A minimum total charge of 1 kr. per telegram; the ship charge varies
on the different boats, and runs from 10 ore per word and a minimum total
charge of 1 ’ kr., toj 30 ore per word and a minimum charge of 3 kr. per
message.
The traffic- and income figures have, of course, not yet become of any great
importance. During 1913, the coast stations together received or despatched
3 193 paid messages, comprising 40 263 words, the coast charges for which
amounted to 4 381‘6o kr. During the first seven months of 1914, this kind of
traffic largely increased, but, as, for well-known reasons, the number of sea-going
vessels within the. range of the Swedish coast stations during the latter part of
the year was greatly diminished, the figures for 1914 are scarcely higher than
those for 1913. The ship stations on board Swedish vessels during 1913
dispatched altogether 2 872 paid messages, comprising 32 736 words, and received
4 791 messages comprising 8 651 words; the ship charges for these messages
amounted to 4 404’60 kr.