existence, to be exact, about seventy-five per cent. We have
about ten million telephones, while Canada, Central America,
South America, Great Britain, Europe, Asia, and Africa all
combined have only about four million. In order to make an
impressive showing, however, we need not include the backward
peoples, for a comparison with the most enlightened nations
emphasizes the same point. Thus New York City has more telephones
than six European countries taken together--Austria-Hungary,
Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Italy, and the Netherlands. Chicago,
with a population of 2,000,000, has more telephones than the
whole of France, with a population of 40,000,000. Philadelphia,
with 1,500,000, has more than the Russian Empire, with
166,000,000. Boston has more telephones than Austria-Hungary, Los
Angeles more than the Netherlands, and Kansas City more than
Belgium. Several office buildings and hotels in New York City
have more instruments than the kingdoms of Greece or Bulgaria.
The whole of Great Britain and Ireland has about 650,000
telephones, which is only about 200,000 more, than the city of
New York.

Mere numbers, however, tell only half the story. It is when we
compare service that American superiority stands most manifest.
The London newspapers are constantly filled with letters abusing
the English telephone system. If these communications describe
things accurately, there is apparently no telephone vexation that
the Englishman does not have to endure. Delays in getting
connections are apparently chronic. At times it seems impossible
to get connections at all, especially from four to five in the
afternoon--when the operators are taking tea. Suburban
connections, which in New York take about ninety seconds, average