The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-08-19
GOVERNMENT ANB PRgvATE9
TELEGRAPHs.

lines ~ Tie Kin giOfn. aaI since thar
time il his done the business Of tsis-
gaping for the public. How this
G,vsramsnt monopoly has worked 10
sho~n in psper On the Postal Tele-
graph Services lately publisbed by Mr
Edward Graves. an officer engaged IN
that department of the Postsfhcs
In 1889. when the telegraph lines
th.re we're no less than twenty nins
-.,,sr,t. co npanies specially engaged
- the transmission Of Geographic mes
sagns Is sides th-se. several railways
csfri,d on the business on large scale,
the FRS. use Of the telegraph In Eng
land Lsving bean made by the rail-
roais { r tbs purpose Of expedtting
tBe.r .ef.ics. Alter time the railway
clerks were Alip~.d. as o favor. to
mint Of high rates. La this way con-
mercisi tslssr.phy. gradually intro
dsced. became an important addition to
railway biography. II was not ustll
1876. nine yesrs after the railway tile
graph had been introduced. that the
first Independent telegraph company
was formed Esen this compsny,
however. had for its chief object the
erection Of lines for the railways. and
only attempted to transmit public mes
ssges q odd moments.
Butm 1859, when the telegraph act
pa.sed. private Geographic companies
hsd 20 increased, and the railways hsd
50 many claims on this business. which
had reached enormous proportions.
that the cost OF obtaining the monopoly
exceeded the estimates. aud Il VAS much
doubted whether the Government would
ever be able to run the lines 1T profit.
or even without heavy loss. The rapid
growth Of the use 1T the telegraph has,
however, helped the Government out
u the scrape. Dusing the year ending
with last March, the inrorne from the
telegrapbie serves about met the exc
penses. and since the revival OF ttaie.
the tslegrs pbie business, which, hal not
advanced fr two or three years. has
ben increasing at rate varying from
10 TO - PCT oent. per week. efinsn.
cisliy. therefore. the purchase of the
telegrsphic lines by the Government
IL fairly successful. Instead OF loading
the y,ostoflice with loss, the new BUSH
meas is paying expenses. aud Eogland
has the qualification OF seeing the post
office ss . whole making the two ends
smeet. So
Since ths Government purchased the
lines they have greatly extended. .and
the uss ii them has Increased more
than four times In 1869 the total
length Of wires employed for CONNER
cial traffic was under 0.U00 miles. In
1879 tho possoflice had i02. $50 miles OF
wire in operation. AMI 5000 miles Of new
trunk lines will DO erected this year.
Ia 1859 the limos ran only to towns aud
ciies where thsy Gould he made 10
pay. No~ they run TO ever, village.
whether the business pays or not. Ani
the nu nber Of offices has increased from
PASS 10 1881. a0u
Ten years ago the total number OF
messages transmitted was between six
and seven millions. In 1879 IL was
26.5i7.i37 In 1869 the number OF
words sent for the press by the two
gre,t agencies averaged 1000 daily.
when Parliament was not sitting. and
5000 when IL was 10 session. In 1879
the numbers rose to $4,000 aud 81, 0e0,
respectively. Besides these. from 49,
0tiOios70. 900 words are saut daily Il,
the provincial journals by special Lon.
don correspondents
In 1859 force Of 25i4 clerks, in.
cluding 40 women, were employed TO
work the lines. and there were l47i
messsngers. Now the clerks numbsr
661l. including 1855 women. aud the
messengers have increased 10 1913.
Finally. the gross receipts from the
lines were $500. 900 ten years ago,
whereas in 1879 they we're ALSO 600.
These agures esrtsiniy show q vast
increase IN the English telegrsphic
business since II came under the control
OF the Government. and Of course they
srs usod - an argument TO prove tbs
wisdom 81 the purchase OF ths lines.
They will also be employed by the I'D
vocates OF Government telegraphic
moaopoly In The United Statss, pro
ject sgsinst which tho soundest state.
manship must continue TO be arrAyed.
Bus telsgraphing has not increased
% enormously In EnglAnd merely be.
cause the Government has assumed il,
management. All over the world The
Last ten years have been Fsmarkabl.
for the development Of telsgraphs, and
u Me kaelish lines he'd rumainst Il
private hands they would have beer
largely extended TO meet the growing
requirements Of the public.
TAks our own CASE. In 1860 We hat
104. 6S4 miles Of wire in operation
whereas IN 1879 We had ell 500 miles
The number Of oflices WAS a601 In 1859
and IN tu70A wss 1854. The num hel
1t mcSsagss Wa 7,p44.9 33 Ia 1869
while In 1879 Il Was $500, l06. Tue
receipts vera tl0. o00. Gao Last wear
agaiusl o1.5f6. ole IN ysAss beg,rs
Private enterprise has therefore push-
Cd photographic facilities ahead In III.
United States ~ rapidly - Govern
ment monopoly has extended them i
Englaad daring tho ten pears. Msaa,
time. too. the rate Of charges for ines
ssees has steadily and largely dsclinet
with us. The average tolls per mes
sage we're 50 3 cents IN 1869, while II
1873 they we're only s. o cents, ~
figures Tor 1879 being at hand. Ye
the profits Of the bnsincss Increased
frem s2.7is.sol In 1859 10 1880. 4a0 /,
1879. !.
The late Coma. Joaunss psia<d him
self upon the quickness OF rsparte,
when the occasion required tha ever