The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-01-18
THE TELEGRAPH IN ENGLAND.

Tue last number of the Nineteenth
Century has a very interesting article
on the postal telegraph system OF Great
Britain, written by Sir julius Vogel.
The writer expresses the warmest ad-
miration for MIR. Scudmore, who is un-
derstood to have been the chief organ
izer of the present system OF govern
ment telegraph, and who displayed
such genius and ability in overcoming
the opposition natural to country 80
averse as England is to ate
interference "in private enterprises,
and especially to the government carry
ing on the business of telegraphy. That
the returns from the telegraph service
do not fully meet the expenses and the
interest on the capital invested, the
writer does not regard as matter Of
serious complaint, on the ground OF the
unfair pressure upon some taxpayers
in favor Of others.
The uses OF the telegraph, direct and
indirect, are, he says, 30 multifarious
and widespread that the State might
well be at some expense for time II
small expenditure we're essential to the
euccess Of the system. Complaint
against it would be as shOrt-sighte and
unreasonable as the complaint which
arose in certain parts of the United
States, during Van Buren's Presidency,
on account of the unequal burdens OF
the cost Of the postal service in sparse
ly settled States like Arkansas, and in
thickly settled districts like Massachu-
setts. But the cry soon ceased when
the public were convinced that the
local expenses of the service were
amply compensated for by its national
advantages.
This fact OF the investment not being
an Immediately paying one, though used
In this country as an argument against
the system, is not made subject oil
complaint in Great Britain. According
to Julius Vogel, there is danger Of too
ready acquiescence in the necessity oi
the telegraph not proving remuner-
ntive undertaking. This danger, he
says, is not to be measured by the
amount Of loss on the one hand, or pos
sible gain on the other. LIS great evil is
to postpone for an unnecessarily long pc.
riod the increase OF telegraph facilities
to the vast number Of people who would
benefit by the extension. He, therefore
aims 10 show that some of the features
OF the system which have made the tel.
eeraph enormously popular in England
are illogical and inexpedient, and thai
by cnrtsillng the advantages in one di
reotion the way will be opened to largely
increase them in another.
After referring briefly to some OF the
means by which the progress Of teleg
raphy may be promoted-such as the
use, still in its infancy, Of underground
wires; the recent American invention
OF quadruplexy, by the marvellous me ami
Of which one wire carries simultaneo GUS
ly four distinct messages; pneumatic
tubes, ana the Dewly-invented telephone
Sir Julius Vogel proceeds with hi
recommendations, which, in concluding
the article, he thus epitomizes: /.
revision of the charges for ordinary tel
egrams, to combine reduction In thu
minimum number Of words, and a log
ical recognition Of the cost Of free ad'
dresses and delivery, stationery, etc.
2 Subject TO examining the length o
present messages aId making allow
ance for increased business on the ON
hand, and diminished length Of tele
gram on the other; the scale to b.