New-York tribune., 1873-01-18

from two TO four times in excess Of paid for
similar services In Europe Thus ior exampis, w,e az
wages ranging from eight to twenty shilngs per Se
9e @ Sc RaS g nos e 9y
$40 to t5 currency per month, or In more direct com
rn ao ~ 90 sbpas per week And what is in
spect to comparative wages this department Of the
Goyernment now makes this very state OF affairs. which
all It's recent legislation is claimed TO have occas9%nea, %
graph Companies for not providing cheaper service ana
proposes, by absorbing the telegraph and making tpe m
practice what 1t still justifes in theory
THE QUESTION OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
Third But granting that the proposition put forth by
the advocates OF the absorption OF the telegraph Dy me
Government be true namely, that the people are In
pesent and urgent need OF cheaper aud greater tee
graphc facilities the question is most ipertinent one,
whether the ends sought in any degree likely TO
be attained through the agency OF the GOvernchedi
under Government, through increased taxation, has
been already demonstrated oEt how about greater greater
efficiency! To this question full and SUFFICIENT answer
would seem TO be afforded in the past ana present RECORD
the business which Government has already monoPo
lized. Take illustration the POstOnce ITSELF
| the department which now proposes 70 eAtenu en
| its business by absorbing the telegraph Does
every one know that In point OF elcency trust
worthness, and attention to the interests Of the pub
c the Postolce in the United states Il far inferior to
the postal systems OF Great Britain, Belgium, or HOl-
land Are there any towns In Great Britain OF from oO9
1900 inhabitants IN the midst of densely populated
district, which, like similar towns IN NewEngand have
mail facilities limited TO three times week. IL there
ernments OF the world like that which now ana for
years past. has existed on the Pacific coast OF whole
community conforming to the strict letter OF the law by
placing U. ). postage stamp on their more valuable
letters aud then, at eight times additional cost cond
ing the same letters to private express company lOr
transmission and delyeryi What commentary on the
honesty OF its officials aud the integrity OF its civil ser
does the PostOce Department itself confess when
il authorizes everywhere the publication OF the follow
ing notice. Valuable letters should Invariably be tdke
10 the PosOgiee and registered The registry zee 10 dH
parts o lhe United States Is 10 cents postage In addl
Ing privilege became established facts in Great Britain
as back 1910; but until 1862 % years
United states could its way clear to the adoption OF
uniform rate OF three cents every half ounce letter
Congress which adjourned in May 1872 the use Of the
so-caed posalcards"a roundabout device for affect
ing reduction OF postage without meeting the question
maniuly and wilhal equivalent to saying 70 the people
Of the United states " yon Will write your letters 80
that the P0stOfce officials may read them the postage
shall be cent, but IL otherwise threewas autho-
Tzed BY Congress ana yet up 70 the present %fitng;
the authorizations and simply for the reason that the
experts of the P0stOice Department after year or
deberatIon the subject forgot to have the bill
accompanied with the essential provision OF an appro-
priatIon necessary TO put device into operation.
Aud what is true OF the business OF the PostOice Is
true of Of almost every other department
OF Government the appraisement Of goods liable TO
customs duties, the system OF entries and Withdrawals.
storage in bond, the inspection OF vessels the colec
tOn OF customs revenue in all Of which the admnisra
ton is imperfect and what in most countries obso
ete laws, always in the direction OF needless OBJ
strucOn and expense TO the business interests OF the
community and rarely II ever In the direction OF
omy and convenience; added to all Of which Is a tacty
recognized system OF adjudication between citizens and
the several executive departments OF the Government
which IN all questions OF doubt uniformly applies the
bene1t OF the doubt TO the government, aud rarely
ever, to the individual.
In short were any individual or corporation 10 under
take do business IN the datory expensive and
vexatious method as the Government Of the United
to-day discharges all OF its functions having rela
tOn To the production distribution and consumption OF
the country their existence, so far public patronage
was concerned would be exceedingly limited and yet
IL under just such circumstances that the public
asked to seriously consider the .expedency of transfer
ring the entire telegraph system OF the country to an
agency whose present business capacity Is utterly made
quate TO the proper discharge OF It's present business
responsibilities.
USRELIABILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT ESTIMATES.
It is certain, furthermore that IL any additional evil
dence needed In support OF these conclusions there
be better field to search for 1t than in the
era reports which have been made in favor OF the Gov
theory of the telegraph, since its original con-
cepton in this country and first presentation to the
public for candidly examine these reports
from the made tho Hon. B Gratz Brown, In 1866
down to the last by the present PostmasterGenera,
ton that Government s being urged to take action
most to & @ aye ana Sn Ss
Yost Indefinite and Inadequate Information Thus, in
for all distances throughout the United ssates as the
proper tariff to be adopted by the Government IN
Washburne proposed one cent per WORD; exclusive
OF date, address and signature. with hree
message. In 1870, Mr.. G. e. Washburn was confident,
frnm calculation based on reliable estimates" that
tariff Of from 20 % cents per message inclusive OF date
address and signature would afford the Government
small profit In April 1872 Mr. K B Lines OF the Post
Office Department, advocating the theory Of Govern
ment ownership before the House Committee ON Appo-
prations expressed an opinion that at all
should be made until lines had been in possession OF
the Government for at least year ana at then as
regulate the rate within certain limits according 10 the
course OF business shown by the books of the
Department." And now, in |December, 1872, comes
the Postmaster General himself with q proposition
to make the rates at the outset thirty are cents
States, and after the lines have been renovated 80
cents II is also to be noted that Mr Hubbard who rst
proposed 2j cents under his system tor circuit OF oOO
miles, now thinks % cents for circuit oi $50 miles
looked that each OF these gentlemen las assumed 10
speak with authority derived from careful investigation
and that all have prOfessed confidence. based rea
BILE estimates" that II the Government should adopt the
rates by them recommended the realization OF profit
the business transacted would be reasonably certain
IL clear therefore, that somebody mas 0undered; but
the blunders involve losses OF only few millions and
over IL in these days Of large taxes and Corresponding
expenditures or comparatively little consequence
for December 1872, find that while he has found su
cient room 70 present to the American public extensive
able TO afford space in the same report for the sta
stes OF The last year. 3nsness Oh tne aEget company
aud in detail to him on application; He mas however
the telegraph systems Of the United States aud Europe
Of Which th the S W rn W m found the fol-
lowing: Complete returns preriors years not harig
been rcceired the estimates Of the British Post 00ce for the
he face of the fact that complete OF
Government system the first fourteen months OF its
existence were officially published in the Summer Of 1871
and have ever since been readily accessible.
Throughout the whole Of this table, moreover, there
runs the mistake of adopting standard Of c0mpari
son for stating the telegraph business of Europe, aud
snother and different for stating the telegraph
business of United States Thus, while In the United
States message Is only counted once, whether 1t i
transmitted one hundred one thousand miles, 1t
ia counted Europe over and over again In each petty
state through which it is transmitted In this manner
the apparent number OF messages in Europe Is greatly
Increased above the number actually ranspltted; aud
by NOT recognizing this fact the tables OF the Postmaster
General are made present statements that to say the
least, will not sustain investigation. Thus, for example
tbe average receipt for IN Bavaria Tor 1870 Is
stated by the 10 be sixteen cents
rho of the gives