Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-12-05
POSTAL TELEGRAPH,
The System as 1T is Conducted in
Belgium.

q hold of the matter and establish lines Il
: be under the control of the Government
9 and to be connected With the postal ser
!. vice. There the matter dropped, but wa
9 revived again in 1865, nearly twenty
3 years later. In 1888 the Hon. z. B
] Wsshburne submitted an exhaustive
/ paper on the subject, showing the work
3 ings OF postal telegrsphy In Belgium and
Switzerland, in connection with bills tC
> establish a United States Postal Tele.
graph Company, and TO establish s
+ postal telegraph system.
This psper, and letter on the subject
by Mr.. Gardiner G.. Hubbard to the
Postmaster-Ge supply valuable in
formation to Congress, should IL proceed
to perfect the measure, IS, sooner or
later, it undoubtedly will.
From the sources already isdieated we
propose to draw some interesting facts
in relation to the postal telegraph system
in the little Kingdom Of Belgium, the
area of which is not more than one
tOE9h. that OF the State of New York.
In I05o the private lines were purchased
ey the Government and consolidated
with the railroad and postal service. The
rates at that time were one and hall
frsncs-ssy thirty cents in gold-fOr g
message of twenty words, for any dis
tance in the Kingdom. In 1853 they
were reduced to one franc, and further
reduction 20 half franc ten cents) took
place in 1866. Date, address and sigma
ture were, as they always are on the con-
tinent, we believe, counted iR. Ihe re-
suit OF this reduction is shown by Mr.
Hubbard as follows:
In 1882 the inland message, at u franc
In 1885 the inland messages, at / ranc
r. isll Rnia 40, Deieo S5z 'lo
mum 64Jsb6b
The effect it will be seen was the same
as followed the introduction of Sir Row
land HilPs cheap postage system in
Great Britain. The number Of messages
multiplied In proportion as the cost upon
them was reduced. The change, of
course, did not affect the class of mes
sages known as iEternational-the rates
Of which are dsteFmined by negotiation
with the surrounding foreign powers.
A few figures in regard TO this system
| will not prove uninteresting. From 1850
! to June, 1858, the rates, as we have
/ stated, were one and half francs per
| message. This made the telegraph too
/ expensive for ordinary use, and accord
/ ingly We find thst there were but 1876
stations in the Kingdom at that time,
delivering but fraction over one
hundred thousand inland messages.
/ When the rates went down TO one franc,
and within the 6rst year, the number of
stations Increased to $50, the messages to
8S2, us; and when again reduced to- half
q franc the stations increased 10 374 and
the messages to Sl9,66S. The entire re-
ceipts OF the telegraph from January,
1850, to January 1868, we're 6. III, ,544
francs. The cost OF construction sud
operation for the same period was I, ,7S3.-
oS4 francs, Leaving net profit to the
Government Of 992, 9l0 francs.
This is conclusive that q cheap system
of telegraphy, jGdioiously operated, can
be carried On with profit to the Govern.
msnt and with inestimsble benefits to
the people. The consequence is that the
telegraph has become household con-
venience to the Belgisns. They use it
socially as well IS commercially, and
carry on correspondence by its means as
we do by the mails, ami With sn infinite
dispatch Of business. The rates arc go
low, too, that it is made svRilahis to all
classes not absolutely pauperIgad.
1t hEs been suggested that Were such g I
system introduced here it would have the /
effect TO diminish the business of the /
postoffice, and materially reduce the /
number of letters transmitted by mail. I
Such, however, has not been the effect In I
Belgium. Thus, when the number OF in /
land messages was but los, 274, the num- 4
Der OF inland letters was only IS. l65 400; /
when the messages increased to 332 us |
the number OF letters had increased 10 1
22,27l,s sos. Again, when the messages. /
in 1857, had multiplied to Sl9,66S. the 4
number OF letters had advanced 10 mOFs /
than 25, GOO, 600.
This shows that when an agency ia in.
troduced into society to facilitate its |
business and social transactions, Il quick |
ems sii other agencies designed for the /
same purpose, and helps, rather than in /
Jures them. TIE human mind keeps |
pace with the accelt rated motion. and |
finds its capacity expand with the better ,
opportunities afforded it. The value of |
this fact ought to be taken into conside- |
ration by governments that seek to fos- /
ter education, the skilled industry and /
the commercial and trade interests o. /
their people.
1t has been questioned whether a pos-
tai telegraph system would work as sue |
cessfully here as in Belgium, which has
small area, dense population, aEd cities |
contiguous to each other. Antwerp is /
but fifty minutes by rail from Brussels. /
and yet Antwerp is on the very frontier
of the kingdom. Except in the cost of |
construction, distance is Of no eopse-
quence in telegrRphiDg. The same cleo
tric impulse that will send disuateh 10
Columbus, will carry 1t on to New York I
by connecting wires, and with no snpre-
ciable difference in point of time. 1t is,
indeed, doubtful whether the postal teIe-
graph could be as economically managed
here as in Belgium, where three inter
ests sre consolidated, and the operators,
kyo md off I
than would be required to operate each
system independently. But then there
are other considerations Ia our favor
and these are so forcibly stated by Mr..
Hubbard that we reproduce them in this
connection. he says:
nThis country is unsurpassed In the
advantages il possesses for the successful
development of the telegraph. The eli
mate, character and habits of the people.
the various centers OF business and The
sast extent OF territory, combine 20 give
1t this superiority. The climate is geDer-
ally dry, and the telegraph is operated
with greater facility than In most conn.
tries in Europe. The character and hab.
its Of the people demand dispatch, while
economy, both In business and domestic
life, Is less practiced here than abroad.
1t possesses one great monetary capital
New YorkTsnd one civil capital-Wssh-
ingtOn-with smaller State cepitals.
There are great oenters for different kinds
OF business. New York for foreign COM
merce and money; Boston for New Eug-
land manufacture Chicago, st, Louis
Toledo for grain Cincinnati and Chica-
go for pork and beef; New Orleans and
other Southern cities for cotton. Each
of these centers regulates the price OF its
own staple; each is commercial none
taTy center for It's own section; and each
has communication with the other cen.
ters relating 10 its staple product. In ad.
disioD, the great distances which eepa
rate the various sections of the country
afford facilities for sending messages by
night ss we'll as day, and yet anticipate
the mail by many hours"
1t Is vast interest here, as at present
conducted. The amount paid for tele
graphing In 1867 was nearly eight mil
lioDs Of dollsEs, aud nearly equals the
amount annually expended by all the
nations OF Europe for correspondence by
telegraph, though the number of mes
ssges will bear no comparison. Thus 10
all Europe. there were transmitted, 10
1865, IS GAO, ,243 messages, at q cost of
IS, 5S5. 3ll. AS our companies keep no
account Of the number OF messsgee, at
least make no report, It is only possible
TO approximate the number by careful
estimste, which Mr. Hubbard enters in
to opd the aopoitasi0F, ~ xuhfob 4. kbaN !