New-York tribune., 1873-01-18


ment philanthropy that the Government has any
thing TO give to the people In tho Of pecuniary aid
them under some form Of taxatipn with some eight
per cent additional to pay for the cost OF the
@ f1s dHn nsS1s s sa Il e hs be % Rta to
furnish to the people such things as arc acknowledged
should commence with those things which OF prime
necessity rather than with those which secondary
ana that food aud rament fuel shelter and education
De0ng To the first class and teegraphie service to the
latter. What the annual deficit to the Government,
transmitting kilograms at the rate OF three cents per
message would have amounted to, neither Mr. Gratz
Brown any other person has definitely stated;
but on the basis proposed by Mr. Washoarn,
with the OF the PostOice Department. OF
Is cents per Mr. Hubbard has presented 10 Con-
gress the following estmate:
Fnst-lnterest at per cent on natonai pohus repre-
SecOndln Europe the cost OF transmitting kilograms
ranges according TO Mr. Hubbard, from 10 Lilo cents
oOld us IlO currencyl In Belgium 81 Is in Russia.
report H. r. 4lst Congress 2sth session, 40, aSSo =,
with the length of the and the distance OF its
transmission, though not in the same proporton' In
rope where the charges for telegraph service are least
average distance to which messages are transneh
s 90 miles but in the United States the average Is three
hundred miles ITO ascertain, therefore, continues Dir.
Hubbard the cost In America II VIII not Dc sale 10 add
ess than so per cent 10 the cost Belgium for the extra
iength and disfaRce ;" which moderate assumption
would give q T0 currency a. the cost TO he Govern
ment Of each message transmitted ana on the
basis OF 25 cents per message direct loss or 70 cents
each message, or OF sO5OgD per % at, m o1 the es,
annual expenditure account OF extensions, Improve
ments and repairs also estimated by Mr. Hubbard at
s2,560 OOO-makng an annual aggregate deficit or S-
But il must be borne in mind that when Mr.. Hubbard
takes the experience OF Belgium as MS basis OF com
parisOn, he selects country which, III we exclude
Switzerland is altogether eKceptlonal III Europe and
in which the wages of skilled labor ana the cost OF
and operation touch very low figure And. as strk-
ingy illustrative OF this exceptional character Of Bel
material equally cheap, II not cheaper, In Bavaria
and Austria the average cost OF ateegrapmc message
in the first OF these countries Y cents gOd and IN the
latter 81 cents and in neither Bavaria nor Austria
do the total annual receipts from the telegraph approx
mate the aggregate annual requirements Ior teegaphic
expenditure: the deficit in Bavaria for 1870 having been
75 per cent and in Austria 2S2 per cent See appendix
20 the Review, marked b. more reasonable estimate
of the average cost OF transmitting Government tee-
grams in the United States founded on Earopeln data.
30 per cent in excess OF the average OF Belgium
carrying up Mr. Hubbards estimate Of the cost Of
each from q l0 cents to Sc 2lO cents currency
and the loss on the same from 0 cents 10 II 20 cents
or 2O latest basis OF 80 cents, advocated by
the Postmaster General But this average Is not so fav
Orabe has been already attained to oy the Western
Union Telegraph Company, when operates under con-
dtiOns similar 10 those existing In Belgium namely over
limited areas and through and between dense cener OF
population. the charge for message from NewYork TO
Boston "a distance OF 23l mles), or between New-York
aud Philadelphia peng at present puI ~ oelts
with iucOn of One'hat for messages transmitted by
night It is curious TO note, aso in TINS connection how
narrow margin between surplus and deficit under
even Belgian conditions and economy mus NJ. Vim
chent the Director of Belgian teegraphs IN recent ex
hbt of the 10 years experience OF that Kingdom prior
aud including 1852 shows that the excess OF receipts
expenditures during tnat tlle LOT telegfapino
operation, construction and repairs was only 5SloH
francs 1i6O)O out ofan aggregate of receipts OF 295
779 francs or at the rate OF Sl per annu And that
this small but favorable annual average mas not since
maintained, proved by the Belgian statistics OF
S e elegTaphe S1 receipts and c57So eegsp6c eS
pendtures and out Of this last sum only sloOO cred"
tied to construction and contingencies
II we to other countries In which, although
possessing all the advantages OF strong centralized
Government, the same system economy ana ntelll-
gence which characterize Belgium 10 not prevail, the
results Of telegraphc operation under the exclusive
auspices of the State are much more significant Thus
including in the annual expenditure the disbursed
for constructions aud repairs, asWe as for operating
the accounts for the year 1870 exhibit tho following
Ieauts 49,
NORTH GERMANY-Recepts s162l,5Ol expenditures,
s1,72l,55 deficit, sl36,2l5. or S3 per cent;
BAvARIA-Receipts SlG224S; expenditures, S2Si.835
DESmARK.~Receipts, slOi2SO; expenditures, sl3,5iO
sFAiN-Receipts, $751; Expenditures, sl5lOs; de-
Receipts, s929 22l expenditures, s375.4O7
In Great Britain where the Governmental system is
claimed TO be success the fiscal exhibit OF teegraphle
service for the fourteen months prior to March.
ISL was as follows Total receipts, s79s58O
gi5); deficit, s59s,8O9 (s2,99i,Oi5). The expendi-
lures here are returned in two classes, namely.
ai7O95 but under the mead Of the former is included
expenditure of s3i6s for poles arms wires nsulaor
aS7749 for engineering salaries alteration OF buildings
ti0n, and the likea OF which would seem 10 ne annu
ally essential to the working Of system as large as that
Of Great Britain, 80 long as 1t Is maintained in condi-
ton of effectiveness.
OF other teegraphic systems under Government con
troll those OF Hungary Norway, sweden, Holland FOR
tugal, Roumania the lndO-EurOpean me ana lle lles
British India all in like manner exhibit for the year
1870 deficit OF receipts ascompared win expenditures
while only IN Russia where the average charge for the
transmission Of messages Is 81 52 Belgium switzerland
Italy, and Turkey, is there claim preferred that the
annual receipts from messages are eqn 10 or IN excess
the expenditures necessary to work, MAINTAIN or eX-
tend the lines necessary to transmit them.t
With such evidence illustrative OF governmental man
agement OF the telegraph in the Old World, what must
be the economical results of similar system In the
United states, where the Government as general rule,
always pays from veny TO fy per cent more for what
1t purchases. III the way OF service or material
than private citizens and where, with the possible ex
ception Of the manufacture Of small arms no work that
1t has undertaken from the building OF ship TO
the printing OF book, compares ihyoraDy IN point OF
quality and economy with the similar work OF indiyid-
uals The total deficiency OF six millions which Mr.
Hubbard estimates the people must DE annually called
upon to pay by taxation, under Mr.. Washburns BILL for
the luxury 5f having the Government own the tele-
graph, will in all probability, have TO be multiplied by
two-possbly bv three-tO represent the figures which
will approximate the truth and all for the benefit of not
the proportion which Mr. Palmer, OF the Committe on
Telegraphs reported the House of Representatives
sages per month provided that Under the reduction Of
rates by the Government the number OF messages
It may be- however. that TO some the addition Of sir,
toelpe eighteen millions 20 present annual
tiona expenditure OF about three hundred millions. will
appear insignificant in comparison with the results
promised anticipated II there be such, the startling
TACT commended 10 their attenn that at the present
time the ratio of increase In our lat0nal expenditures
for what may be called the civil 6ervice In OF
that of any ofehe Governments OF the Old WOrldand
mas been, the average OF eight per
cent aYum. while during the same period the ratio
ncreasof population has not been equal to three per
cent per annun. And also as illustrating the influence
of the present burden of taxation on the strictly agrcu
tura interests the facts brought out by recent nyes
cations in NewHampshlre, which shoW that In one 0f
It's most fertile and, at the same time, favor
ably situated districts in respect to Notwithstanding
ham Countythe present average annual tax for state
producing average an annual product OF $3.50 40
about $50, or including national taxes direct and i
direct, approximately Sl0-causng continued decrease
the value OF all real property and steady decline in
population that other circumstance, that to-day the
future title OF ncOnsderabe part OF the real OF
entire StateSOuth Carolinabds fair 10 be title
derived from the Sheriff Cor sales In default OF ability on
the part OF the landowners TO pay the taxes assessed
upon them Surely i'll view of such facts these IL is
matter worthy Of the most serious consideration OF both
Congress and the people, whether there are any orcum