Connecticut western news., 1873-12-26
Postal Telegraph.

1OStaA 1cAcSFapAs
 Reasons tor Adopting the system-What Congress should Do i'm Order to Re- duce the Rates on Messages and News.
 The President of the Westen Union Telegraph Company, in letter to 8 New York paper, says: "The Herald IS probably correct in assuming that further reduction in rates will not be made by the companies now doing the telegraph business for some time to come." The Western Union Telegraph Company have adopted some uniformi- ty in their charges within few years past, and made few other reductions in their rates, to the great benefit of the public and of the company but the public are under no obligations to the company for making these reductions i; for President Orton, in his annual re- port, informs his stockholders that they were forced upon them from the com petition from opposition companies. They have recently purchased the pr1n- cipal opposition lines, and have reduced their rates so low that the remaining companies are unable to make any money. Now that this great monopoly is free from all fear of competition, they announce that they will make no furth- CT concessions in rates.
 That the company are able to make further reductions is shown by the facts given in the annual reports. From these it appears that the rates have been reduced nearly one-third in six years, yet the cost of doing the busi- ness is so much less, in consequence of it's great increase, that the net profits are greater at the lower than at the higher rates. MT. Orton has so often reiterated the proposition that the ex- penses increase in nearly as rapid ratio as the business, and therefore re- ductions in rates cannot be made, that he has persuaded himself of it's truth, and is unable to appreciate the force of the facts which we have given.
 MT. Orton truly says that the tele- graph is only in it's infancy. The growth of it's business is mu.h more rapid than that of the express or post office, and at the same ratio of increase the num- Der of telegrams that will be annually sent ten years hence is larger than the numberof letters sent when the postage was reduced to five cents. The imme- diate increase in the correspondence that followed upon the use of the five and three cent postage stamp was enor- nous, rapidly increasing from 50,000,- 900 to 500, ,O0O, 900. There will be the same increase in the telegraphic cores pondence if the same relative reductions in rates were made for the same causes would operate to produce like effects. The people cannot hope for such re- ductions from the Western Union Tele- graph Company, because there is now no reason to induce it to make them, and because the loss of net revenues from the great reductions in rates nec- essary to popularize the telegraph would be greater than the saving of ex- penses on each telegram from the great increase in the business. Such reduc- tions can be made under the postal tele- graph system, for that will save nearly one-quarter of the present expenses, and would therefore authorize a reduc- tion in rates of nearly forty per cent, and yet leave sufficient profit on the greatly increased business.
 The Postmaster General will ask Con- gress to purchase all existing lines of telegraph, and build the new ones re- quired for the business. The expense of purchasing these lines has been es- timated by committees of Congress at IrOm pfO,OUO,OOO IO $plU,UUU,UUU. QO not think Congress will feel disposed, in the present condition of our finances, to authorize such expenditure, especially as the object sought can be accom- plished without any expense to the gov ernment.
 The Post Office Department will fur nish the offices and the Postal Tele- graph Company will transmit the mes- sages at rates fixed by Congress.
 If the people desire to have cheap telegraph, and to have the news fur nished to the press at low rates, they must support the postal telegraph sys- tenn, and urge Congress to pass bill authorizing the Postmaster General to contract as he now contracts for the carriage of the mails. If, on the other hand, they desire to perpetuate an overgrown monopoly, which is every day growing more powerful, then let them continue the present system by which single private corporation con trols the telegraphic correspondence of nation, and has the power to give or withhold news to the press, and to mold public opinion in it's own interest. Such power is too great for any pri- vate company to hold, and should be in the hands of the people, to be used only for thelr benefit. Chicago Inter- Ocean.