The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-31
LABOR AND CAPITAL.
DIR. Norvin Green Explains Telegraphy to
the Senate subcommittee.


committee on labor and education resumed
its session to-day. Robert Blissert a tailor,
who has taken active part in the labor
movements said the condition of the labor
ing man was pretty much the same the world
over, The coal miners in England were bet
ter off than in this country; their homes
were nice and their hours of labor shorter
Witness thought that the general intelli-
gence of skilled workmen was greater abroad
than here. The only thought of the work
man in this country was to get money to pay
his rent and get enough to live on. Witness
insisted that if a blow was not struck at
monopoly before the aspiration of ten years
one of the bloodiest revolutions that ever
occurred would happen. There seemed to
be growing tendency to encourage mo-
nopoly, and he said that unless some action
was had to check it, the country would be
ruined.
The next witness DIR. Norvin Green testi-
fed that he had been president of the West
er Union Telegraph Company for about five
years. He became connected with the West
ern Union in 1876. He alluded to an appro-
pration of 500, 600 made by Congress for ex-
periments. The first attempt was made on
an underground line from Baltimore to
Washington, but the knowledge of insula-
ton was not very good, and the current was
| lost. 1t escaped through the rubber insu-
! lators. DR.. Green held that whenever they
were compelled to put their wires under
ground it would result in detriment to the
| public service. He had seen q statement in
some paper that the wires in England were
all in the ground but he noticed when there,
not long ago, on looking out of his hotel
/ xrytN fNWs. 1rlr
head. There was as much complaint against
the wires there as here. Many of the gov
eminent wires there were in the ground, but
the poles began long before you got out of
the city. The Western Union company had
absorbed large number of smaller companies.
In respect to telegraph service, the witne IS
said there was no such telegraph service in
the world as in the United States. In giving
a history of the development of the tele-
graph, DR. Green said that the Morse inven-
ton was brought before the public in 1887,
and an appropriation was made by Congress
| for experiments the following year. In al
luding to the difficulty of laying wires under
ground witness said that communication
was had for a long distance under water
There was great trouble experienced in the
experiment of laying wires under ground be-
tween Washington and Baltimore, and the
plan was abandoned. The pole system was
adopted in place ef the underground PLAN
At the time witness went into the
business the lines had been extended
into the South and West, but not one
of these lines had paid a dividend The
New York, Albany e. Buffalo was paying
per cent. per annum, and one or two others
OF the northern lines were yielding a small
percentage upon the original investment
The New Orleans & Ohio company was en-
| tirely sunk to its owners, and many of the
smaller companies had been absorbed by the
larger companies. Telegraph property in
/ 1 \ A. i T.
| penses were incurred in running their of
fees and caring for the lines, and the public,
! witness added, seemed slow in approaching
the difficulties under which the telegraph
| companies labored. In every instance
when there was a consolidation of com
panies it had been positive gain to the
! public. The Western Union company in
1866 had absorbed the United States
| Telegraph Company, which extended its
wires to Salt Lake and the Northwest; also
the American Telegraph Company. The
capital of the Western Union company at
/ that time was 81, 061 600. The Bell Teie-
| phone had to-day capital of about $21 Q00,
000 1t was necessary, years ago, to buy up
the right of way along the railroads, and the
company now owned about 600 The CAPT
talization Of the Western Union, witness said,
was formerly 5000 mile, but to-day it was
less than 5000 The lines of wire In this
country had been increased from 70 900 to
! over 430,0 600 miles. During the last five years
| the number of miles of poles have been
increased from 81002 to 49, 900; miles of
wire from 206, 202 to 374, 1868; Offices from
! S0l4 to l2,O6S; messages, from %, 9lS 1914 to
! 49, 842, 247. Witness stated that the capacity
OF the company was double what it was five
years ago and asserted that they could do
| their business much cheaper if they adopt
| ed the English postoffice system and took
their own time to it, and he was satisfied
that there was no Geographic service in the
world as perfect as that of the Western
| Union company. The capital stock OF the
Western Union was about $50 900, 0O0 In
/ the course of his testimony DR.. Green spoke
i OF the franchises they owned in the rail
roads along which they had the right
of way and explained to the committee
that the railroads had the use of certain
wires for the conduct of their transportation
business as pay for such franchises, and the
railroads had their own operators and used
| the company's wires or had a separate wire
between various points for the starting and
management of trains. Witness said that
their line paid s per cent on a capitaiza-
| ton of $50 900, 600, Their contracts with the
railroads ran from twenty to thirty, years.
The service they do us, said DIR. Green, was
of great utility to u.s. but of small pecuniary
benefit to the railroads The Bell patent
was once offered to the Western Union COM
pany for 100000; now it was worth 500 000,-
600. The company was consta ntly buving
| patents. They declined to buy the Lego
/ system.
AT the afternoon session Dr. Green resumed
his testimony. Four-ffths of the Western
! Union operators have been office boys and
messengers. The average salary paid en-
ployes is $40 a month. A large numb of
female operators were educated at Cooper
Institute at the expense of the com
pany, about sixty operators a year being
! turned out. The average wages of Western
! Union operators is $6S.75, and that of all
operators in the country $6490. Witness
denied the assertion of the New Yorb Times
that none of their operators received more
than $50 a month"; and added that the
operator receiving the Timess special gets
$50 month for five hours work and 500
in the Produce Exchange for five hours