Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-31
NoRvIN GREEN ON THE STAND.
Western Unions President Tells the
STORY of Telegraphy

NEW YORK, August 30.-Dr. Norvin
Green, President of the Western Union
Telegraph Company, appeared as a wit
ness to-day before the sub Committee of
the Senate Committee on Education and
Labor. which is investigating the rela-
tions between labor and capital and
the cause of labor troubles. He
testified as to his connection
with the Western Union Company, his
knowledge of the telegraphic service in
this country and in England, its growth
in the United States, the growth and pre-
sent condition of the Western Union
Company, and other matters bearing
upon the relations of that company to the
public. He said that he had been
connected with the Western Union
company since 1866, and had been it's
President for the past five years. Prior
to 1856 the Western Union Company had
absorbed the United States Telegraph
Company, and had thus extended its lines
to Salt Lake City and the Northwest. 1t
had also absorbed the American Telegraph
Company. At that time the capital stock
of the Western Union Company was
sal, ,O6l, 600. Since that time it had alb
sorbed large number of smaller cOmpa-
MES. 1t was necessary many years ago,
he said, to buy up rights of way along
the railroads, and of these the company
now owned about six hundred. The capi-
talizatiOn of the Western Union Company
was formerly 5000 a mile, but now il was
less than 5000. Its capital stock was now
about SS0,000,000. The witness explained
to the committee the nature Of the con-
tracts which the company had with the
railroads, and which, he said. ran from
twenty to thirty years. The service the
railroads do the company was, he said, of
great utility to the company but of small
pecuniary benefit to the railroads. The
capacity OF the company for the trans
mission OF dispatches was now, he said,
/ double what it was five years ago. He
asserted that the company could do its
business much more cheaply if it
were to adopt the English post
office system and take it's
own time. He was satisfied
he said that there was no telegraphic SER
vice in the world as good as that of the
Western Union Company. The witness
presented figures illustrating the growth
Of the telegraph in the United
States since 1856. He thought
the public had been slow
in appreciating the difficulties
under which telegraph companies had
labored in building up their systems, and
pointed out that it was only about 1856
that telegraph property began to yield
instance in which there had been a con-
sOlidatiOn of companies the public had
been gamers. He deprecated the efforts
that are being made to compel the COM
panies to place their wires under ground.
At the afternoon session DIR. Green re-
sumed his testimony. FOur-tifths of the
Western Union operators had been office
boys and messengers. The average salary
paid to their employees is $40 month.
\ l1TOn nIImhpT a
were educated at the Cooper Insti-
tute at the expense of the COM
pany. About sixty operators a year
are being turned out. The average
wages of the Western Union operators
is SOS 10, and that of all the operators in
the country is S64 80. The witness denied
the assertion Of the New York Times that
none of their operators received more than
$50 month, and added that the operators
receiving Times specials get 500 month
for live hours work, and $50 in
the Produce Exchange for five hours
work, making Sl05 a month. The opera
tors here get twice as much pay as in
England, but they do more work. He
thought the strike should have been won
by the company at any cost. The main
cause Of the strike was a belief that
the number of available operators out
side OF the employ Of the company were
in the strikers power.
The Gould system of railroads, in its
efforts to obtain first-class operators,
forced up wages beyond the market value
of the services rendered. The general
rates on all their lines had been gradually
reduced. The tendency of wages is up
ward, and they were never higher than
now. Women do not intend to make
life-wOrk of operating. The best female
operators received $40 month.