New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-02-28
GOVERNMENT TELEGRAPHS.
am TIP .NsFER OF ENGLISH TELEGRAPHS TO THE
cOyERNMENT-UTTER AND SHAMEFUL tAIL-
IRE OF THE NEW SYsTEM-AN EAI I',N,I,,,,
80 ,,1IApTFR IN BRITISH ENTERPRlSE-
CAUsEs OF THE COLLAPSE

NARY CHAPTER IN BRITISH hNiH MISE
CAoSSS VI LONDON. Feb q, 1870
Tyroe weeks AGO the Post Office took possession Oh
che telecraphs throughout England, Ireland ana
scotland. As that department postponed inc i"nSioi
t its arran gements were deemed complete we haNo
had time TO estimate the advantages OF the transfer
There can be but one opnion-that the experiment
Tins far has proved disastrous failure. Heretofore
the English telegraph system has been one OF inc
hest in Europe now, certainly, II is the worst Is
service is now characterized by continual DELAYS
and incredible mistakes, prompt delivery beng the
exception. The local London charges have been
doubled for the sake of pedantc uniformity
and for double charge inferior service is given. The
total collapse of the provincial system has repeatedly
occurred, and London journals are filed with pro-
tests editorial and individual. The country journals
are forced 10 go to press morning after morning
without kilograms or with few The House ofCom-
mons resouds with complaints business suffers;
the great mercantile communities demonstrate and
PETITION vainly Probably never was period since
tclegraphng begun when the public was so Ill
served. Here follows a condensed history of the
service SINCE Government had control with evidence
Of dissatisfaction among all classes, and from every
rart Of the United Kingdom.
The transfer was completed on Saturday. Feb. D.
Little was done on Sunday and Monday. The new ar
rancements, elaborated at leisure by the PostOfice
had completely broken down. Telegraphc cOmmu-
r,cation had practically ceased throughout the
limited Kingdom but SIX stations answering Lon
don. The Irish and Scotch wires down TO Liverpool
and Manchester could not be reached and the whole
west of England was cut off from 1ondon by an ac-
edeut in London attributed to a clumsy workman.
The accident was repaired, but the transmission OF
the Queens speech on Tuesday containing less than
1000 words again blocked the wires. Commercial
and private messages everywhere were detained,
The country press Jared still worse. The Edinburgh
Scotsman. the leading Scotch journal, has a special
wire from London. but on Tuesday had only one
hind the usual news On Wednesday IL received
only the last half of the report of the debate the
Queens speech. Liverpool papers make the same
statement. The Mercury Of the 9th says Liverpool IS
wretchedly supplied, and the scanty news that came
was comparatively worthless and unintclligbe.
Manchester Birmingham. Dublin equally
destitute The IisL Times dublin Of the 9th says
London correspondence telcgraphed us on Saturday
at 4 in the afternoon, was received Monday morning
al II. letter would take a hours less The Dublin
Chamber of Commerce were without report Of the
London markets till evening The birmingham Ga
fttte of the nth says: The debate the address
was finished in the House at on Tuesday evening.
but it was not received for Wednesdays paper, aud
tie different dispatches were confused Tie Nq,-
chester Courier received the following under head of
Traffic" Lane and Yorks increase O531 Brghts
temporary retirement caused by tendency blood TO
head" Alarmed by such results of transferring the
teegraphs 10 the Government, the House of Com
mons the 10th. asked the Postmaster-GeneTal for
explanations. The Marquis Of Harrington admitted
the failure and blamed the weather, but said that
business since then had been conducted with per
feet success. This was singular statement, for
complaints recommended Immediately The Times
of the 18th prints account of an urgent message
announcing illness, sent from Oxford at II on Thurs
day morning, and not delivered in London til 10
o'clock on Friday. The result was that parent died
beforcthe son arrived in London.
Brokers write to The Standard of the same day
that he new telegraph administration is an utter
breakdown. in their business done by telegraph
with provinces, their messages formerly brought
areplv in an hour and half, but it now takes four
hours and sometimes they not received till next
day Hence they are threatened with the utter col
lapse and ruin Of our business. The Mars of the 18th
saws that the telegraph system Is not working with
many of the most important towns in the three
Kingdoms The Post-Oiice against pleads bad
weather Nh Scudamore, chief post official, sends
The Times of the 18th a list of wires not working
including Liverpool, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge,
Hull Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Birm-
iDgham Manchester, adding: ITO what extent com
munieaton is interrupted on branch lines is not
known" Delay has also occurred in all cOmmunica-
lions with the continent. On Tuesday, the 18TH Mr.
Gladstone introduced the Irish Land bill. Few or
no English OF Scotch provincial papers received next
morning fun report of his immensely important
speech. though finished at $. The ScOismQE's report
breaks OFF midway.
Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield Liverpool
papers, all complain of the deficiency Of the news.
The Manchester Examiner of the 10th, half in jest and
half in earnest. declares that somebody, Lord Hart
ington, for choice will shortly have to be hanged
unless matters mend. Tile Sbe6eld independent an
nounced company about to run line of stages be-
tween London and the principal towns TO compete
with post-oftce wires, (which they will have diff
fcuty in doing" Meantime, the patience of the
great mercantile communities became exhausted.
On Feb. -, great meeting OF merchants at the
Royal Exchange, Glasgow, adopted a memorial eX-
pressing their deep disappointment" at the cond
uon oil the whole telegraph system, declaring the
poS'ohCe telegraph management habituallY and
thoroughly untruswOrthy, which, under the old com
pahIes' was rarely and exceptionally the case In
stead Of communication with and answer from Lon
don within an hour as formerly several hours are
no" required ior transmitting single message'
while answers are very rarely received within bns
ness hOuls'0i the same day. and comics of ucssoges
Wy post arrive sooner than originals by teleoranb
Al Liverpool, on the 18th, more than Ooo ner |
chants signed memorial demonstrating against the
serious Inconvenience and injury suffered from the
present system Business Is partially disorgan- |
lHed III consequence and unless a speedy reu,ed ,s
found the general trade of the country win sra .
lime enough" they say, has elapsed 70 ipstify |
the country in expecting a service as efficient a.
formerly The House Of Commons. ON the 17tI,
Sgan demanded explanations, and the Postmaster