傳播訊息的聲音──電話在黃旺成日常生活中的角色（1912－1930年）

The role of telephone in Ng Ong-seng's daily life (1912-1930)

日治時期，各種近代通訊傳播工具先後傳入臺灣，這些不同的訊息傳播工具，在那時的訊息傳播市場中都占有一席之地。本文希望透過《黃旺成先生日記》（The Diary of Ng Ong-seng），來了解電話這個看起來普遍度有限的訊息傳播工具，在黃旺成的日常生活中具體扮演何種角色，或是發揮何種作用。在當時的時代脈絡下，因電話用戶大多非裝設於住宅，多是為了公務或商務所需而裝設於工作場所中，故能使用到電話的人們，並非侷限於電話擁有者而已。而黃旺成傳達訊息時使用電話的頻繁度，則會因他的職業別改變而有落差，其中以在蔡蓮舫家任職時使用電話最多。這並非個人習慣改變，而是該職業環境改變使然。另一方面，這樣使用數量的落差，又可反映出電話在不同職業別需求程度上的不同。此外，像是旅館這樣的住宿場所，已有相當比例裝設有電話來供客人使用，所以即使黃旺成離開了工作場所於外地住宿時，其還是可利用住宿旅館的電話與他人進行事務聯絡。若經由比較黃旺成在大正7年（1918）年整頓元豐商行和大正14年（1925）年組成友聯紡織時，其事業所在地有沒有裝設電話，雖然能否負擔昂貴的電話費用是要考量的點，但更重要的是這個事業經營運作時，需不需要常用電話這個訊息傳播的工具，很明顯從事物品批發買賣的行業，電話是經營上的必需品。另一方面，日記中也具體呈現像蔡蓮舫（Tsai Lien-Fang）這類在臺灣中部舉足輕重的士紳階級，儘管電話費用昂貴，但因為其常需與銀行或官方機構聯絡，電話看來已是其事業經營所需工具。此外，也因為透過日記細微的記載，才能了解為何在日刊形態報紙中，已是各地支局與本社編輯部門間重要通訊工具的電話，在週刊形態報紙的傳播訊息上，重要性及必要性就下降許多。最後，若真有需要利用電話來傳遞訊息時，黃旺成會利用當地核心夥伴（交友圈）所經營場所的電話，而由此也可看出黃旺成在當地的人際網絡。

During the Japanese Colonial Period, a myriad of modern communication tools was introduced to Taiwan. These communication devices played an important role at that time. Through the book''The Diary of Ng Ong-Seng'', this paper seeks to understand what functions and purposes were served by telephones in Mr. Ng's daily life, despite the limited penetration of telephones in general. In those days most of the telephones were not installed at home, but in workplaces. People who did not own phones could also access phones from work. Mr. Ng's frequency of telephone utilization changes due to job situations. He used the telephone the most whilst working for Tsai Lien-Fang's family. It was not because his habit had changed, but because his work environment was different. The ups and downs of telephone usage reflects the varying degree of needs for telephone on different jobs. Meanwhile, the Diary of Ng Ong-Seng also profiles the gentry class important in Central Taiwan such as Tsai Lien-Fang. Although phone bills were expensive, telephones had become indispensable for their business communication with banks or government agencies. In contrast, daily newspapers and weekly magazines lost much of their importance and necessity.