Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-04-10
MORE POSTAL 1elEGRApHy.


tute for the Original Bill.
Washington. special telegram, April
6-The following is an abstract of tue
DILL introduced by Senator Hill for the
establishment of y postal telegraph sys-
ten, which is substitute tor his origl-
nal postal telegraph bill 1t has been
adopted by the senate committee on post
offices and post roads. and will be favor.
ably reported by the senate:v
All postoffices in places where there
are telegraph Offices shal! be postal tele.
graph Offices. The Office of fourth assis.
tant postmaster general shall be erected,
the duties of such officer to be to exer.
clse a general management over the
Offices hereby established. Charges for
the transmission of kilograms shall be
prepaid by telegram stamps, stamped
paper OR by postal telegraph cards, to be
sold the same as postage stamps. The
maximum rates for kilograms of twenty
words or less shall be twenty cents per
1000 miles or under, and additional rate
OF five cents for every additional $50
miles; but no rate shall exceed fifty cents;
for night messages. under 1000 mlles,
fifteen cents; for greater distances 25
cents; for every five additional words or
less, one. fifth additional rate shall be
charged. All government messages
shall have priority. The rate for news.
paper specials and news shall not ex-
ceed 80 cents if sent at night, aud IS
cents If sent by day, tor each 100 words,
but when copies OF the same kilograms
are dropped ut more than Que Office, the
rates shall not exceed rs cents at night
and 80 cents during the day. When such
messages are delivered at the same off.
ces for more than one paper, cents ad-
ditional shall be charged each paper for
each 100 words for manifoldlng. The
postmaster general shall make rules and
regulations for telesraphic money OF ders,
bnt the snouDS to be transmitted shall
not exceed 800. kilograms shall be
privileged communications in law to the
extent that sealed letters now are. Any
contracting company shall have the
rlght to construct lines on all post
routes, and shall provide lines to every
post telegraph Office on request of the
postmaster general. The postmaster
general shall deduct three cents for
each telegram transmitted by the
transmitting company aud pay the re-
mainder to the company as full com.
pensation for lte service. The postmaster
general shall contract with the company
whose proportion shall be deemed the
most favorable tor term OF Eve years,
With right to extend the contract for
another five years upon condition that q
uniform rate without regard to distance
at or below the lowest rate specified by
this act shall bc adopted; and IN such
case the department shall deduct two
cents instead of three cents on each tele-
gram as compensation for its service. All
contracts shall be terminable at the
option OF congress. If no company will
contract for the performance Of the
service, and in the event that no salts.
factory proposition to sell existing lines
for the same amount they are now really
worth, shall be submitted on or before
Nov. Is. 1884. then there shall be estab.
lished postal telegraph system by the
government.
The latter part of the bill provides
that four trunk lines shall be built north.
east, northwest, west and south from
Washington, the lines 10 be constructed
and operated at as many intermediate
points as can conveniently be operated.
All employees shall be deemed officers
aud persons employed BY the United
States, and all clerks, electricians and
operators who may be employed will be
examined by the board of civil service
commissioners. The sum of s., ,OOO, 600 is
appropriated for the purposes mentioned
for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1886
The last section provides that nothing in
this act shall be construed to prohibit in.
dividuals or corporations from CARRYING
on the business Of operating telegraph
lines