The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1874-03-11
Telegraph.
From the New York Daily Graphic.

l''A ~ ''N $500
Mr.. Orion, in his REQ mt review of thu
report of the postmaster general upor
n governmental telegraph, makes three
points: ,l
7. That The plan for postal telegraph
has been rejected by congress.
2. That the government telegraphS
abroad have been a constant drain upon
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-
scented to congress one by Mr.. CrCSS-
we'll who favors a purely governmental
system, with lines purchased, owned,
and operated by the postotlice 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 Geographic, like other
correspondence, received and distrlb-
utcd through the p~ostotice, and trans
mitted by telegraph between postal
telegraph.ofices, by parties running and
operating the lines, under contract with
the postOffico department, Mt rates fixed
by congress-ab0ut 3d. per cent. less
than those 10Y charged. This plan was
first recommended by Postmastrr-Gcn-
eral Randall to congress. In two diff
fercnl sessions favorable reports accom-
panied by bills have been made i'll the
senate. The committee on appropria-
tons in the house, instead of ignoring
the matter, as-intimated by Mr.. 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 boon
a constant loss to the European 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 a private corpora
ton, but to make them so low that they
barely pay the expenses. With thisend
in view, frequent reductions i'll 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 cxpen-
SEES, but the cost of construction. The
latest statistics for the European states
show that the receipts n little exceed
the operating expenses.
Mr.. Orion arrives at n different re-
by including the cost Of construc-
ton of new lines as a part of the Oper-
ating expenses, although he excludes
them when computing the expenses Of
his W business. Mr.. Orion says the
rates here are "as low as the average
rates i'll European countries" and that
rates here are fifty cents. His re-
port for the year ended the Both of
June last, published in October, shows
hat the average rate paid by the public
or telegraphic messages for the year
vas sixty-seven cents. 1t has been
somewhat reduced since then. and is
about sixty. Mr.. Orion includes
he de9d-heads with the paid ces,
md so kakes the average appear ION
iderably less than it really is. The
Innual number of messages transmit
ed in Europe, by the latest returns we
lave, we're SO, 400, 900. The gross re-
were $40, 28S, 462, which gives the
rate at thirty-six cents. The
ates for inland messages average TWEEN
cents, one-half the rates charged
" the Western Union telegraph com
,any.
The use of the telegraph, in proper
ion to population, is greater abroad
han with lis, and is increasing in
treat Britain, Switzerland and Belgium
nuch more rapidly than here, where it
-oes not keep pace with other business.