At the same date Europe had 11,306,955 telephones, or about 35 per cent. of the world's total. Of these 2,953,614 were in Ger many, 2,226,329 were in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and France had approximately 1,350,000. The remaining tele phones were distributed among the countries of Asia, Africa, Oceania, South America and North America outside of the United States. Canada had 1,192,33o. Of the remainder 651,919 were in South America, 1,420,539 in Asia (nearly three-quarters of which were in Japan), 271,626 in Africa and 737,466 in Oceania (including somewhat over 485,000 in Australia and about 155,000 in New Zealand).
In proportion to population the United States had, at the date to which these figures relate, 13.3 telephones per one hundred people. The world as a whole had at the same date 1.5 telephones for every loo inhabitants. At the beginning of 1934 Canada had 11.2 telephones per hundred people. New Zealand had ro.o and Denmark io.o. Sweden had 9.5, Australia 7.4, Hawaii 5.8 and Norway 7.o. Germany, at the same date, had 4.5 telephones per one hundred people and the cor responding figure for Great Brit ain and Northern Ireland was 4.8, for France 3.2, and for Italy 1.1.
The United States has, how ever, not always been in advance of Europe in number of tele phones. In 1885, about ten years after the telephone's birth, there were, to be sure, 155,700 tele phones in the United States, or almost twice as many as in Europe. Nevertheless, by the beginning of 1892 Europe had attained a total of 254,90o telephones, which placed it ahead of the United States where there were then only 239,300 telephones. Europe maintained its lead over the United States in telephone totals by a comfortable margin for nearly seven years thereafter, but in the latter part of 1898 the United States again passed Europe and the margin of American leadership has increased since then. The United States has at present 5o per cent. more telephones than has all of Europe.
Among the South American nations Argentina had a develop ment of 2.6 telephones per hundred people at the date to which these statistics relate.
Japan had attained a development of 1.5 telephones per ioo people by the beginning of 1934.
As regards the distribution of telephones with respect to the size of communities, it may be said that in general the smaller communities in the United States had a larger portion of the total telephones than was the case in Europe. As a rule, the most
intensive use of the telephone in countries outside of North America was to be found in the large cities. A third of all the French telephones were in Paris and a third of all the British telephones were in London. Paris had 14.2 telephones per hundred people and London had 9.1 at the date to which these figures re late. New York at the same time had 20.8 telephones for every one hundred inhabitants, Chicago 22.4, and Los Angeles 25.7, San Francisco had 35.o. Stockholm had 32.o per one hundred inhabit ants. Copenhagen had 20.4, Oslo 20.3 and Malmo 15-4. Toronto, Canada, had 24.4 telephones per one hundred people, Berlin had 10.9, Frankfort-on-Main had 9.2 and Hamburg-Altona had 9.2. Tokyo had 3.6 telephones for every one hundred population, Auck land, N.Z., had 9.9 and Havana, Cuba, had In respect to telephone conversations during the year 1933, the latest period for which comparative data covering various coun tries are available, the United States had a total of 24,000,000,000. The figures for telephone conversations include both local and toll, or long distance, conversations. So far as they relate to the United States they cover completed messages only. Americans, during the year 1933, used the telephone 191.4 times per capita, while Canada had 214.1 conversations per capita. There were 61.9 telephone conversations per person in Australia, 158.7 in Denmark, 137.4 in Sweden and 78.5 in Norway during the same period. Germany had a total of 33.o telephone conversations per capita during that year. Great Britain and Northern Ireland had 34.8 and France had 20.3. In Austria there were 82.6 telephone conversations per person during the year, in Belgium there were 29.2 and in the Netherlands 49.9• Much has already been accomplished toward the integration of telephone communication facilities not only in countries like the United States, Canada, Sweden and elsewhere, but also in regard to international communications on the North American and European continents and by overseas radio circuits between conti nents. The day is probably still far distant when anyone anywhere in the world can communicate by telephone with anyone else any where in the world. Progress in extending the range of telephone communication during the past few years, has, however, brought this ideal measurably nearer to accomplishment. Present indica tions point to further progress at a rapid pace.