The New York herald., 1868-12-16

gress, the members wllI have added an important
stone to the monument Of their herculean labors.
Postal Tclegraphy In Belgium.
From the Cincinnati COMMERCIAL
The proposition to establish system of postal
teegraphy III the United states Is not new one. AZ
long ago as 1S4o and when the telegraph system was
in its infancy Congress was urged to take hold OF the
matter and esablsn lines to be under the control OF
the government and 10 be connected with the postal
service. There the matter dropped, but revived
HON. Z. b. Washburne submitted an exhaustive
paper the subject. showing the workings Of postal
tom WITH bills 70 establish @ United states IL sIsa Postal
Telegraph Company ana 10 establish postal tee-
This paper and letter on the subject by Mr. Gardl-
ner G.. Hubbard 10 the Postmaster General supply
valuable information TO Congress- should it proceed
TO perfect the measure, as sooner On latter 1t un-
doubtedy will
From the sources already indicated we propose to
draw some interesting facts in relation the postal
telegraph system IN the little kingdom OF Belgium
the area OF which Is not more than One-fourth that
OF the state of New York. In 1850 the private lines
were purchased by the government and consolidated
with the railroad and postal service. The rates at
that time were one and half francs-say thirty
cents in gold-for message OF twenty words for
any distance in the Kingdom. In 1868 they were re-
duced to one franc, and further reduction to hall
franc ten cents TOOK place In 1865. Date, address
and signature were, as they always are on the Con
tlnent, we believe, counted in. The result OF this
reduction is shown by Mir. Hubbard as follows:
In 1862 the inland messages, at l1af., num-
In 1895 the inland messages, at H. numbered 332 us
In 1867 the inland messages, at Nj, numbered 6dS
The effect, II VIII he seen was the same aS followed
the introduction OF sir Rowland Hill Is cheap postage
system In Great Britain. The number Of messages
multiplied III proportion as the cost upon them was
reduced This change OF course. did not AFFECT the
the class OF messages known Us international, the
rates OF which are determined by negotiation with
the surrounding foreign Powers.
few figures In regard to this system will not
prove uninteresting. From 1850 to June, 1862 the
rates, as we have stated, were one and a half
expensive for ordinary use, and accordingly we
find that there were but 1856 stations In the king
dom at that tlne delivering but a fraction over
l00 900 inland messages When the rates went down
to one franc, and within the trs year, the number
ana when again reduced to half franc the stations
increased to 374 and the messages to sl9,66s. The
entire receipts OF the telegraph from January $780,
to January 1858 were 544 francs The cost OF
construction and operation for the same period was
1884, 1874 francs leaving q net profit to the govern
ment OF 992, ,910 francs.
This is conclusive that q cheap system Of tele-
graphy judici0usy operated, can be carried on with
profit 10 the government and with inestimable bene
fits TO the people. The consequence ls that the tele
graph has become household convenience to the
Belglans. They use II socially as well as CONNER
we 40 by the mails and with infinite despatch of
business The rates are 80 low. too, that 1t Is made
available to all classes not absolutely pauperiZed.
1t has been suggested that were sucn system in
troduced here II would have the effect TO diminish
the business OF the Post ONCE and materially reduce
the number of letters transmitted by mail. Such,
however, has not been the effect In Belgium. Thus,
when the number Of inland messages was but 81 GAS
the number Of inland letters only 10, 1885, 400;
OF letters had increased to 22271 S08 Again, when
the messages in 1867 had multiplied to Sl9,66S, the
number or letters had advanced to more than
rs, 600, 000
This shows that when an agency is introduced into
society 10 facilitate its business and social transac
tons IL quickens all other agencies designed for the
same purpose, and helps rather than Injuries them.
the human mind keeps pace with the accelerated
motion ana nnds It's capacity expand with the better
opportunities afforded II. The value of this fact
ought to be taken into consideration by governments
that seek TO loster education, the skilled industry
and the commercial and trade interests of their
people.
II has been questioned whether a postal telegram
system would work as successfully here as In Bel
Rium, which has small area dense population and
cities contiguous to each other. Antwerp is but nifty
minutes by ra from Brussels, and yet Antwerp Is on
the very frontier OF the Kingdom. Except in
the cost OF construction. distance Is OF no co1se-
that Will send despatch to Columbus will carry IL
on to New York by connecting wires and with no
appreclabe direrence In point Of time. II ls indeed
doubtful whether the postal telegraph could be as
economically managed here in Belgium, where
three interests are consolidated and the operators
clerks aud officers are fewer in number than would
be required 10 operate each system independently.
But then there are other considerations in our favor
and these are 80 1orcibiy stated by Mr.. Hubbard
that we reproduce them In this connection. He
says
This country unsurpassed advantages possesses
mate and and habits Of the people the various centres
superiority The climate dry and the !se
graph operated greater facility than in most
despatch while economy both Ia business and domestic e,
IIs
ingon smaller State capitals There great
money; Boston for New England msnaisc.u9es
Chicago %
css for cotton Each these regulates price
Its section and each has with the other
hs % saP In addition the great
day and yet anticipate the mail by many hours.
IL is vast interest here as at present conducted
The amount paid for elegraphing In 1861 was nearly
sS,00O,0O0, and nearly ''equas the amount annually
expended by all the nations OF Europe for cores
pondence by telegraph though the number OF mes
sages Will bear no comparison. Thus In all Europe
there were transmitted In 1865 lse4o, 24s messages,
at cost OF Ss,oS5,3ll As our companies keep no
account OF the number OF messages-at least make
no report-it Is only possible TO approximate the
number by careful estimate, which Mr.. Hubbard
enters into, and the conclusion OF which IL that IA
the year ending June, 1868, the number OF messages
transmitted IN the United states was 6,952000 AZ an
average cost OF one dollar each But we shall con-
slder the American system hereafter.
The practical fact is that tue cost OF telegraphing
mere Is 30 great AZ 70 deprive the people. whole,
OF It's benefits In the speedy transmission or Intei
gence IL Is used only In important transactions ana
grave emergencies whereas IL ought 10 be made as
available for their uses the post ITSELF How this
can be accomplished Is the question. Whether the
government ought TO purchase existing lines, estab-
iSh independent ones, OF incorporate United States
postal telegraph company, giving IL pownr TO con-
struct lines the Postmaster General then To receive
bids from all companies for the transmission OF
stamped messages, not 10 exceed twenty-five cents
including i've cents postage, for twenty words for
every 800 miles fraction thereof or i've cents for
each added i've words-as Is proposed In the bill
now pending IN Congress-are open questions. and
Will receive consideration when the bill comes up
again. The effect OF even that system would be- in
MIR. Hubbard's opinion, to reduce the cost on mes
sage twenty-five per cent 10 stations within 500 miles
sixytwo per cent to stations between 500 and 0o0
sixty-seven per cent between 1000 and l. 800 miles
and ifty.sx per cent between l,50O and 2OOO-an
average reduction Of nfty-three per cent.