Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-02-25
ToIogranh.
From the New York Daily Graphic.


Mr.. Orion, in his recent review of
the report of the Postmaster General
upon governmental telegraph, makes
three points:
1. That the plan for a postal tele-
graph has been rejected by Congress.
q That the governmental telegraphs
abroad have been a constant drain up
on the public treasury.
3. That the rates here are but little
higher than abroad, while the telegraph
is as freely used here as there.
Two propositions for the transmits
sion of correspondence have been pre-
sented to Congress one by Mr.. Cres-
| well, who favors a purely governmental
system, with lines purchased, owned,
and operated by the Postoffice Depart
ment. This plan has never been ap-
proved by any committee of Congress.
The other is the postal telegraph sys-
tenn, advocated by Mr.. Hubbard.
This proposes to have telegraphic, like
other correspondence, received and dis
tributed. through the postofice, and
transmitted by telegraph between
postal telegraph-offices, by parties
running and operating the lines, under
contract with the Postoffice Depart
ment. at rates fixed by Congress-
about 33t per cent. less than those now
charged. This plan was first recon-
mended by Postmaster General Ran
dali to Congress. In two different ses-
sions favorable reports accompanied by
bills have been made in the Senate.
The Committee on Appropriations in
the House, instead of ignoring the
matter, as intimated by MIR. Orion,
made a report in its favor, one year
ago. The bill was not reached in the
House, and, therefore, was not acted
upon.
Mr.. Orion says the telegraph
has been a constant loss to the Euro
pean states, forgetting that abroad the
sole object of the governments is not to
make the rates high enough to realize
profits for the stockholders of pri
vate corporation, but to make them
SO low that they shall barely pay the ex-
penses. With this end in view, fire.
quent reductions IN rates have been
made, with the knowledge that after a
year or two the increased business
would more than compensate for
any loss sustained at first. In Bel
GUM and Switzerland the telegraph
has paid, not only all operating ex-
penses, but the cost of construction.
The latest statistics for the European
states show that the receipts a little
exceed the operating expenses.
MIR. Orion arrives at a different re-
suit by including the cost of construc-
ton of new lines as a part of the
operating expenses, although he ex-
cludes them when computing the ex-
penses of his own business. Mr..
Orion says the rates here are Gas low
as the average rates in European coun-
tries" and that the rates here ale fifty
cents. His report for the year ended
the 30th of June last, published in
October, shows that the average rate
paid by the public for telegraphio
messages for the year was sixty-seven
cents. 1t has been somewhat reduced
since then, and is now about sixty
Mr.. Orion includes the dead heads
with the paid messages, and SO makes
| the average appear considerably less
| than it really is. The annual mum Der
of messages transmitted in Europe, by
the latest returns we have, were ST.
4OO,O QUO. The gross receipts were Sl9,-
26S, 1852, which gives the average rate
at thirty-six cents. The rates for in
land messages average twenty-nine
cents, one-half the rates charged by
the Western Union Telegraph Company.
The use of the telegraph, in proper
ton to population, is greater abroad
than with us, and is increasing in
Great Britain, Switzerland and Bel
GUM much more rapidly than here,
where it does not keep pace with other
business.