The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-09 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF COMMONS—Tins DAY.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at 12 o'clock.
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH BILL.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the
second reading of this bill, which was to enable the Go-
vernment to acquire the electric telegraphs, and working
them in connection with that of the Post-office. It would
take between three and four millions of money to pur-
chase existing rights, and if the principle of the bill was
affirmed he should bring in a money bill to provide for the
purchase money. He proposed to make use of the money
deposited in the Post-office savings banks as far as was
consistent, and ale) to raise money on terminable
annuities at 20 years, and also some of the
money would be raised on bills and bonds, in
order that the Post-office savings banks might not
be in the least inconvenienced. The surplus profit of the
arrangement would amount to £210,000 per annum, and
that taken at 31 per cent. would be quite sufficient to pay
off the whole cost in 20 years. He th.ught the greatest
public advantage would result from the arrangement, au I
therefore he hoped the house woul I agree to the second
reading of the

Mr. LEEMAN moved, as an amendment, that the bill
be read a second time that day slx months. He contended
that the proposal was one of the most dangerous descrip-
tion, and one which he hoped the li ouse would not for a
moment countenance. it had bean said that the public
and the press would benefit by the bill, but he con-
tended it would result in no such thing. The public
at present were well served; alai, as for the press, it
already received as great privileges as the post-office, sup-
posing they were to bac mile possessed of the telegraphs
could give them. The petitions that had been got up in
favour of the bill lvid all been instigated by the post-office,
and did not at all show the real feeling of the
public press on the matter. As far as the general public
was concerned he di4 not think that they would much
appreciate an arrangement by which every telegram they
might receive would be placed in the hands of the Go-
vernment. They must all recollect the outburst of
inclignatioi when Sir James Graham opened the
letters of Mazzini, and now that it was proposed
to do the same thing on a large scale he hoped
the house would stop in and prevent such a thing being
done. He contended that the objects of the bill were en-
tirely opposed to the instincts of the national character of
the people of England, who, he believed he was correct in
saying did not appreciate the mode of working the telegraphs
adopted on the Continent. Abroad it was impossible to
send a telegraph without its first having been submitted
to the Government authorities, whilst in Paris no less
than four copies of every telegram were made and for-
warded to each of the bureaux. The proposal, he felt
justified in saying, was most repugnant to the feelings of
the general public, who were not yet quite agreeable
that everything that was either done or contemplated
should be conned over and considered by any Govern-
ment. The telegraph companies had acted most liberally
to the public, the public avere satisfied, and therefore he
hoped the house would reject the bill. It might be thought
that he had an interest in the matter, but he begged to as-
sure the house that he was in no way connected with
any of the great telegraph companies, but that he had
taken up the matter purely on public grounds, being per-
suaded that the bill was one opposed to the feelings and
interests of the people generally—(hear, hear)—as he did
not believe that the sole object of the Government was
to reduce the present charge to an uniform telegraphic rate
of one shilling.
(LEFT SITTING.)