Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-10
GOVERNMENT TELEGRAPHY.

In regard to any new enterprise the first
question of every well-regulated American is
evil it pay" In the present discussion OF
Government telegraphy this question natu-
rally arises. While it can hardly be answered
directly, the experience Of the English govern
ment furnishes partial solution of the ques-
ton. 1t was thirteen years ago-in
1S7O-that the English government .pur-
chased the telegraph lines in that
country, contracting in the purchase large
debt, which the proposition was to pay out
of the earnings Of the system. Having taken
possession, the government was at once
importuned to open host OF Offices at
points where the returns would be very
small and where the private companies had
refused TO keep offices because they neither
paid expenses nor promised to become prof.
table within any reasonable length OF time.
At very many of these places the
government opened offices. and the cost OF
building additional lines and opening new Of
fees largely increased the original invest
ment. But notwithstanding all this, the bus
mess increased so rapidly that in two years
all criticism of the measure had ceased, and
the new system was almost universally re-
garded as next in public convenience and
utility to the postal service itself. In 1874
the Government was able to adopt a uniform
telegraphc rate of one shilling FOR messages
of less than twenty words, counting the ad-
dress and now it is proposed to reduce the
rate to sixpencc. The revenue derived from
the telegraph in 1878 was S4,S99,33O, while
its cost was 81, 20S, $780, leaving profit of
$6s9,50 In 1882 the telegraph business
had increased to SS,OS3, 005, and the costs
were IS, $50, 900, leaving a clear profit of
80, 253, 09j. The revenue of the Western
Union in 1882 was ST., 1400 900, more than
double the income of the British system
The British service had in 1879, G6OO offices,
while the Western Union had 1884 offices.
All this is reasonably conclusive that Gov
eminent tclegraphY in this country might be
made to pay or at least to cover all expenses.
OF course our country is so much larger than
England and the distances TO be traversei by
possible that, for the present at least, our
Government system could make so good a
showing as England, but the figures for that
country ought to be approximately good for
this.
The sentiment in favor of Government te-
legraphy is growing stronger every day. So
sound and conservative paper as the New
York Ecening Post is strongly in favor of
the system. The Boston Traveller says
"The proposition that finds most favor. as
We gather public sentiment, is that the Gov
eminent shall construct telegraph system
of its own, connecting all the chief centres
of business activity. and capable of amply
protecting the public from sudden cessa-
ton of telegraph service, and run it as a
branch of its present postal business" SIM
liar views are expressed by the Chicago Iri6-
une, the New Haven NeDs, the Richmond
State, and many other leading and influential
newspapers. The Mobile Register says that
$50 long as the wires remain in the hands of
a monopoly, so long will the business of the
country be subjected to the interruptions and
losses which we now experience. The peo-
pie are compelled to pay rates yielding an
enormous percentage upon stock increased to
fictitious value" The Reading Times
thinks this abuse can be most effectually stop.
ped by 'the passage of an act of Congress
establishing entirely new government tele.
graph lines over every mail route in the coun-
try, and that is everywhere. The building
of these lines will afford employment to
thousands of pcoplc-and the purchase of
poles, wires and other fixtures will be advan-
tagcous to large numbers of farmers and me-
chanics Our surplus revenues can in no
way be better expended, When the lines are
completed five cent stamp ought to take
message Of say twenty or thirty words to any
part of this country" The Boston Globe
says; There are many arguments in fa-
vor of supplementing the mail service with a
system of postal telegraph lines, while there
are few valid objections to system properly
established"