New-York tribune., 1873-01-18

iSht hours Ten hours is the minimum in the telegraph
service. and hundreds work an average OF III saYm
nate against large and worthy class as hoso IA
gagged in maintaining and operating Ine , 10 this
vet IL undertakes the business ~ must etne ,aia
or diminish by per cent the present product se IN
praph operatives without reducing the cost, or ,
crease the force and the cost IS per cent 10 ln" WV
Every telegraph message be written ont WORD Dy
word Nv tbe hand OF an operator In its passage over
the Wire N occunes the circuit 20 the exclusion oI every
thing else One operator S RECEIVING IT, The average
capacity of operators to send anu @ o i a
h Tho limit of the capacity OF set Is reached
another set must provided whose e1paelt ns .ne @
methnc more s involved TO take care OF the increase
than the mere provision OF aouilo y. t dno
permanent addition Of 400 messages uy 70 lnose now
pessi"S between Chicago and New-York requires the
provision OF additional Elre between unose ClIes'
and an additional operator az eacn FOr every TWO ad-
,ona wires between these places at least addi-
onal operator beside those at each end VIII be required
~ an intermediate staon-say at BuliaO-tO attend re-
neafers and TO assist In receiving and rewriting the
messages when, sometimes happens, the weather is
so that II is necessary to divide the through
The senographer who is taking this from my dlctation
can do a certain amount of work in day. Would the
product of his labor be any cheaper II he had twice
much 70 II is possible for him TO performf In that
case however. the double work would involve hiring
another, and would cost only double wages. But liz
respect to messages by telegraph when the wires and
only double for wages, but further investment cf
capital in the "pant" followed by increase in the
1t does not matter whether the business Is conducted
by private parties or by the Governmental large in
crease of messages win always be followed by an almost
proportional increase operating expenses and IA fast
the limit Of the capacity Of lines is reached, further
permanent investment OF capital must be made 70 en-
large their capacity. Whether it is better that the
Of the telegraph shall continue TO be paid for
out Of the profits accrung from t9s business Us mes %,
service and raised by taxation upon the people, IL s Tor
to decide But do not the people be deceived by the
allacy that the copying OF messages word by word Dy
the fingers of telegraph operators can be done at nom
sInnlV
have already about all they can DO -,
now In successful operation; and perhaps Of the
various devices for automatic Transmission may ulu-
matey be found Ptaeueaco IN in tb ca
pacy of wires and thus lessening the amount OF cap
and not in essenng the amount nor In reducing the
cost OF the labor required TO handle messages. .
smareIy some of the points presented my letter, you
seek TO turn their flank by comparison between the
nosfa service and the business Ot the express compa-
nies which YOU present with this general statement
ITO nv mind all the points yOu make against bOVern-
Ion. $50 oaoinst the Government control OF the
mails You say further: 1.-THE express companies can
urge all your reasons and many IN addlton as m ,h r
hands and depriying them OF large pronts. M.
know that you do not mean 10 Ignore the ne idet % @ taa
eminent that the telegraph IS the product Oh
enterprise But you must nave laea 10 renTlpei hi
ness now conducted by the Express companies mas Deeh
greatly stimulated by the failure OF the & a % b
pess which naturally aud properly belongs to 1t, in
manner satisfactory to the Pubic .. l., .-
of its revenues have been about S5OVOUO Wlthln the
last years. During TINS period Pf9nt m & elua TO at
Companies much Of 1t derived from business which the
Post Office has neglected 70 90 AT az Tr ns ialet % 20 % no
risks of it, msInanagement Mucn OF tlle government
own business is not inrusted TO It's own has anu pc
tween some the principal cities OF the country hs
singular spectacle may be witnessed almost every day
in the year: On the same trains which carry lhe mails
,fh HON
between the Treasury ana US brdncheS arc MlthueIu
from the officials in the postal cars ana placed III charge
OF the agents of the Express Companies. Ihus the m
stinct of security Overeomes the temptaIons OI tne
franking privilege and the Government give pracuca
evidence of its confidence in the fidelity OF private en-
terprse." ,,,. ,,,...- c...
NAMES have no occasion reasons against the
Governments keeping the postal business out OF their
hands and deprving them Of large pronts'D perhaps
the charges Of the Express Companies are eXorDltan
and their profits unreasonably large. But why Is IT, II
lit the sender fifty times as much 70 send sna
same weight of malabe matter for the same distance
why is It, say, that the public continue TO submit to
while the Government ready and willing, yea, anxious
even TO perform the service for onehieth OF me Ex
nres Companies charge} And why Is 1t that in all
tons OF the country considerable part OF the CORE
epDTacts and other valuable papers after being placed
in stamped envelopes, whereby ul postage accrues 10
te Government, is then given TO the Express Compa
MES and the charges OF the latter pad thereon IN add
tioni
perlence of the blessings of cheap and uniform Govern
nept Postal Service the people would not tolerate the
opnression of private monopoly for a single month"
Bu IL seems clear 10 that considerable portion OF
the public either do not coincide III your opinions CON
caripS the oppression of private monopoly" else
hey2 rather bear those ills we have than fly to Others
do not think II probable that our people would con-
sent TO transfer Of the postal service to the Express
Companies unless upon condition that the present rate
of postage letters and other maabe matter should
not be increased, and that the facilities provided
the offer were made 10 the Express Companies to take
OH of and TO perform el
cient manner IL Is conducted, for twothrds the
nresent rates that the offer would be accepted and
that i'm view of saying the Treasury millions OF annual
deficit, and the public millions IN postage that the atter
would overcome any sentimental attachment ior Toy
/ do remember the time 70 which you refer, when
letter" also remember that the Express Companies
provided stamps and undertook the transmission OI let
rs on fine same rOutes at lower rates Including special
delivery The business rapidly that II threat
ened serouy diminish the revenues OF the POstOnlce
Department or course the Government promptly III
terfered check the growing evil AT the next session
of Congress a bill was passed prohibiting, under strn-
gent penalties, the carrying OF maape matter OUTSIDE
was made uniform rate OF ten cents followed sub
sequeny by further reductions 10 he rates when now %
comprehend why IL is do not share your hostility To
'private enterprises" III general and 10 the Express
confident am in the ability OF private enterprise 10
compete successfully with Official agencies IN the per
formance any service for the public requiring prompt
ness, skill, and fidelity, that in case the Government
should take the telegraph and should establish even 50
low rate Of charge that suggested by you. namely
one cent word for all distances, would desire no
mode of acquiring fortune than the exclusive
privilege to construct and operate private telegraph
lines such rates OF charge as should h 10 impose
Aud in that event. should confidently expect the Gov
ernlnent would ultimately become one OF my best GUS
toners
will admit the truth OF your statement that the
consumption OF whatever IS desirable Is always in pro-
portion 10 its Make desirable thing cheap enough
and there is limit to the demand for IT," But with
this provsO that reducing the cost there is deIer
0rdtion Of the quality
is peculiarly Of Americans that they rarely grgm
BILE the price Of what is otherwise completely satsac
tory. The competition OF railroads has entirely broken
up the business of carrying passengers the canals
although the cost Of travelling has been thereby largely
increased And in spite OF what you deem the present
exOrbitant charges for railway travel, the Pullman
palace crowded everywhere with persons who
my laN addflnn 10