set up telephones in Uddevalla and Hâmosand, besides establishing several lines
of communication between telegraph and private offices.
Simultaneously with these first installations and during the period immediately
following, private telephone associations were formed, it may be said, at every
place of importance in the country. These associations, which contributed
greatly to the development of the Swedish telephone system, were formed, as a
rule, by a larger or smaller number of persons in a town- or a district, which
felt a need of telephonic communication. The capital necessary for the common
exchange was contributed, and apparatus, etc., were bought in common,
but each member paid for what he used, and, as a rule, each one erected and
paid for his own line. The management was carried on, often free of expense
by a committee chosen from among the members of the association, and, as
each individual kept his line in repair, the annual fees, needed only for the
maintenance of the exchange and the telephone service, were remarkably low.
From State Telephone Exchange, Malmö. (Local Section.)
In a number of larger towns, however, limited companies, operating Bfor
profit, undertook the setting up, etc., of telephones. That the fees in these
cases were considerably higher was a matter of course, so much the more as
greater demands were made upon these érections in regard to technical quality
The connection of the networks at various places came about when thé
technical improvements by degrees rendered conversations over greater distances
possible. In most cases, the necessary capital was obtained by subscription, and
no fee was payable for conversation even between different districts.
About 1890, the private telephone plants were calculated to embrace
a length of 40 000 km of line, and about 16 000 telephones in use. At
Table 136. Number o f Telephones
No. of
telephones
in use—
Per
1000
inhab
Denmark............................ 118398 42
Sw«<len............................ 217 554 39
N o rw ay ............................ 75 000 31
Sw itz erlan d .................... 90 573 23
Germany............................ 1302 672 19
Great Britain.................... 738 738 16
The Netherlands . . . . 77 195 13
F in la n d ............................ 35 200 11
Belgium............................ 58 640 8
France ................................ 293195 7
that period, the State began to devote
greater energy. At the close of 19
about 52 000 telephones in use; the Si
instruments; and other private compa:
named figure being, however, unoerti
in the whole of Sweden thus amouni
84 000, or about 16 telephones per
figure for Europe at the same time
phones per thousand inhabitants,
lines of the whole of Sweden may bi
160000 kilometers. At the close of 1
as follows: the State telephone n(
Stockholm Telephone Co., 73 577; an
a total of 235 373 telephones in use.
per 1 000 inhabitants; the total lengt
500 397 km. For the sake of compa
figures (see Table 136) may be give
1913.
In the whole of Europe there were,
phones, corresponding to 8 telephones p
the total number of telephones was abi
inhabitants as in Europe.
A comparison between the chief capit
telephones in use, is given in Table 13
Table 137. Number of Telephones ■
No. of 1000
telephones. inhab.
S to c k h o lm .................... 79 964 228
Copenhagen........................ 50 802 84
1 Christiania........................ 20 729 86
Be rlin ................................ 144543 62
London ............................ 244 320 34
1 B a r i s ................................ 95 033 32
use in various Countries, 1913.
No. of Per
telephones 1000
in use inhab.
A u s tr ia ............................ 161230 5
Hungary............................ 75 738 4
Rumania............................ 21000 3
I t a l y .................... 89166 2
Spain ................................ 34 000 2
Russia (Finland etc.) . . 282 481 2
Portugal............................ 8 040 1
Servia ................................ 3606 1
Greece................................ 3 097 1
Bulgaria............................ 3 200 0-7
itself to the telephone business with
00, the State telephone system had
;ockholm telephone companies, 27 000
aies, possibly about 5 000 9 - the last
tin. The total number of telephones
;ed, at the time mentioned, to about
thousand inhabitants; the average
was probably not more than 2 tele-
The total length of the telephone
} calculated to have then been about
.913, the above figures had increased
;t possessed 159 252 telephones; the
.d other private companies, 2 544, or
which is equal to 41-7 instruments
l of the Swedish telephone lines was
rison with the rest of Europe, some
a for the commencement of the year
it the same time, about 3 695 400 tele-
er 1 000 inhabitants; in the whole world
>ut 13 570 900, and as many per 1 000
als of Europe, as regards the number of
use in various Cities, 1913.
No. of
telephones
Per
1000
inhab.
V ie n n a ............................ 56 747 27
Bnda-Pest........................ 24 567 28
Brussels............................ 21470 26
P e tro g rad ........................ 47 649 28
R om e ................................ 10 400 20
M a d r id ............................ 4031 7