the history of the telephone-第33章

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y　swallowed　the　other　twelve。　If　it　had　been　let　alone；　this　company　might　have　given　good　service；　but　it　was　hobbled　and　fenced　in　by　jealous　regulations。　It　was　compelled　to　pay　one…tenth　of　its　gross　earnings　to　the　Post　Office。　It　was　to　hold　itself　ready　to　sell　out　at　six　months'　notice。　And　as　soon　as　it　had　strung　a　long…distance　system　of　wires；　the　Postmaster　General　pounced　down　upon　it　and　took　it　away。

Then；　in　1900；　the　Post　Office　tossed　aside　all　obligations　to　the　licensed　company；　and　threw　open　the　door　to　a　free…for…all　competition。　It　undertook　to　start　a　second　system　in　London；　and　in　two　years　discovered　its　blunder　and　proposed　to　cooperate。　It　granted　licenses　to　five　cities　that　demanded　municipal　ownership。　These　cities　set　out　bravely；　with　loud　beating　of　drums；　plunged　from　one　mishap　to　another；　and　finally　quit。　Even　Glasgow；　the　premier　city　of　municipal　ownership；　met　its　Waterloo　in　the　telephone。　It　spent　one　million；　eight　hundred　thousand　dollars　on　a　plant　that　was　obsolete　when　it　was　new；　ran　it　for　a　time　at　a　loss；　and　then　sold　it　to　the　Post　Office　in　1906　for　one　million；　five　hundred　and　twenty…five　thousand　dollars。

So；　from　first　to　last；　the　story　of　the　telephone　in　Great　Britain　has　been　a　〃comedy　of　errors。〃　There　are　now；　in　the　two　islands；　not　six　hundred　thousand　telephones　in　use。　London；　with　its　six　hundred　and　forty　square　miles　of　houses；　has　one…quarter　of　these；　and　is　gaining　at　the　rate　of　ten　thousand　a　year。　No　large　improvements　are　under　way；　as　the　Post　Office　has　given　notice　that　it　will　take　over　and　operate　all　private　companies　on　New　Year's　Day；　1912。　The　bureaucratic　muddle；　so　it　seems；　is　to　continue　indefinitely。

In　Germany　there　has　been　the　same　burden　of　bureaucracy；　but　less　backing　and　filling。　There　is　a　complete　government　monopoly。　Whoever　commits　the　crime　of　leasing　telephone　service　to　his　neighbors　may　be　sent　to　jail　for　six　months。　Here；　too；　the　Postmaster　General　has　been　supreme。　He　has　forced　the　telephone　business　into　a　postal　mould。　The　man　in　a　small　city　must　pay　as　high　a　rate　for　a　small　service；　as　the　man　in　a　large　city　pays　for　a　large　service。　There　is　a　fair　degree　of　efficiency；　but　no　high　speed　or　record…breaking。　The　German　engineers　have　not　kept　in　close　touch　with　the　progress　of　telephony　in　the　United　States。　They　have　preferred　to　devise　methods　of　their　own；　and　so　have　created　a　miscellaneous　assortment　of　systems；　good；　bad；　and　indifferent。　All　told；　there　is　probably　an　investment　of　seventy…five　million　dollars　and　a　total　of　nine　hundred　thousand　telephones。

Telephony　has　always　been　in　high　favor　with　the　Kaiser。　It　is　his　custom；　when　planning　a　hunting　party；　to　have　a　special　wire　strung　to　the　forest　headquarters；　so　that　he　can　converse　every　morning　with　his　Cabinet。　He　has　conferred　degrees　and　honors　by　telephone。　Even　his　former　Chancellor；　Von　Buelow；　received　his　title　of　Count　in　this　informal　way。　But　the　first　friend　of　the　telephone　in　Germany　was　Bismarck。　The　old　Unifier　saw　instantly　its　value　in　holding　a　nation　together；　and　ordered　a　line　between　his　palace　in　Berlin　and　his　farm　at　Varzin；　which　lay　two　hundred　and　thirty　miles　apart。　This　was　as　early　as　the　Fall　of　1877；　and　was　thus　the　first　long…distance　line　in　Europe。

In　France；　as　in　England；　the　Government　seized　upon　the　telephone　business　as　soon　as　the　pioneer　work　had　been　done　by　private　citizens。　In　1889　it　practically　confiscated　the　Paris　system；　and　after　nine　years　of　litigation　paid　five　million　francs　to　its　owners。　With　this　reckless　beginning；　it　floundered　from　bad　to　worse。　It　assembled　the　most　complete　assortment　of　other　nations'　mistakes；　and　invented　several　of　its　own。　Almost　every　known　evil　of　bureaucracy　was　developed。　The　system　of　rates　was　turned　upside　down；　the　flat　rate；　which　can　be　profitably　permitted　in　small　cities　only；　was　put　in　force　in　the　large　cities；　and　the　message　rate；　which　is　applicable　only　to　large　cities；　was　put　in　force　in　small　places。　The　girl　operators　were　entangled　in　a　maze　of　civil　service　rules。　They　were　not　allowed　to　marry　without　the　permission　of　the　Postmaster　General；　and　on　no　account　might　they　dare　to　marry　a　mayor；　a　policeman；　a　cashier；　or　a　foreigner；　lest　they　betray　the　secrets　of　the　switchboard。

There　was　no　national　plan；　no　standardization；　no　staff　of　inventors　and　improvers。　Every　user　was　required　to　buy　his　own　telephone。　As　George　Ade　has　said；　〃Anything　attached　to　a　wall　is　liable　to　be　a　telephone　in　Paris。〃　And　so；　what　with　poor　equipment　and　red　tape；　the　French　system　became　what　it　remains　to…day；　the　most　conspicuous　example　of　what　NOT　to　do　in　telephony。

There　are　barely　as　many　telephones　in　the　whole　of　France　as　ought　normally　to　be　in　the　city　of　Paris。　There　are　not　as　many　as　are　now　in　use　in　Chicago。　The　exasperated　Parisians　have　protested。　They　have　presented　a　petition　with　thirty…two　thousand　names。　They　have　even　organized　a　〃Kickers'　League〃the　only　body　of　its　kind　in　any　countryto　demand　good　service　at　a　fair　price。　The　daily　loss　from　bureaucratic　telephony　has　become　enormous。　〃One　blundering　girl　in　a　telephone　exchange　cost　me　five　thousand　dollars　on　the　day　of　the　panic　in　1907；〃　said　George　Kessler。　But　the　Government　clears　a　net　profit　of　three　million　dollars　a　year　from　its　telephone　monopoly；　and　until　1910；　when　a　committee　of　betterment　was　appointed；　it　showed　no　concern　at　the　discomfort　of　the　public。

There　was　one　striking　lesson　in　telephone　efficiency　which　Paris　received　in　1908；　when　its　main　exchange　was　totally　destroyed　by　fire。　〃To　build　a　new　switchboard；〃　said　European　manufacturers；　〃will　require　four　or　five　months。〃　A　hustling　young　Chicagoan　appeared　on　the　scene。　〃We　'll　put　in　a　new　switchboard　in　sixty　days；〃　he　said；　〃and　agree　to　forfeit　six　hundred　dollars　a　day　for　delay。〃　Such　quick　work　had　never　been　known。　But　it　was　Chicago's　chance　to　show　what　she　could　do。　Paris　and　Chicago　are　four　thousand；　five　hundred　miles　apart；　a　twelve　days'　journey。　The　switchboard　was　to　be　a　hundred　and　eighty　feet　in　length；　with　ten　thousand　wires。　Yet　the　Western　Electric　finished　it　in　three　weeks。　It　was　rushed　on　six　freight…cars　to　New　York；　loaded　on　the　French　steamer　La　Provence；　and　deposited　at　Paris　in　thirty…six　days；　so　that　by　the　time　the　sixty　days　had　expired；　it　was　running　full　speed　with　a　staff　of　ninety　operators。

Russia　and　Austria…Hungary　have　now　about　one　hundred　and　twenty…five　thousand　telephones　apiece。　They　are　neck　and　neck　in　a　race　that　has　not　at　any　time　been　a　fast　one。　In　each　country　the　Government　has　been　a　neglectful　stepmother　to　the　telephone。　It　has　starved　the　business　with　a　lack　of　capital　and　used　no　enterprise　in　expanding　it。　Outside　of　Vienna；　Budapest；　St。　Petersburg；　and　Moscow　there　are　no　wire…systems　of　any　consequence。　The　political　deadlock　between　Austria　and　Hungary　shuts　out　any　immediate　hope　of　a　happier　life　for　the　telephone　in　those　countries；　but　in　Russia　there　has　recently　been　a　change　in　policy　that　may　open　up　a　new　era。　Permits　are　now　being　offered　to　one　private　company　in　each　city；　in　return　for　three　per　cent　of　the　revenue。　By　this　step　Russia　has　unexpectedly　swept　to　the　front　and　is　now；　to　telephone　men；　the　freest　country　in　Europe。

In　tiny　Switzerland　there　has　been　government　ownership　from　the　first；　but　with　less　detriment　to　the　business　than　elsewhere。　Here　the　officials　have　actually　jilted　the　telegraph　for　the　telephone。　They　have　seen　the　value　of　the　talking　wire　to　hold　their　valley　villages　together；　and　so　have　cries…crossed　the　Alps　with　a　cheap　and　somewhat　flimsy　system　of　telephony　that　carries　sixty　million　conversations　a　year。　Even　the　monks　of　St。　Bernard；　who　rescue　snowbound　travellers；　have　now　equipped　their　mountain　with　a　series　of　telephone　booths。

The　highest　telephone　in　the　world　is　on　the　peak　of　Monte　Rosa；　in　the　Italian　Alps；　very　nearly　three　miles　above　the　level　of　the　sea。　It　is　linked　to　a　line　that　runs　to　Rome；　in　order　that　a　queen　may　talk　to　a　professor。　In　this　case　the　Queen　is　Margherita　of　Italy　and　the　professor　is　Signor