The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-22
POSTAL TELEGRAPHY.
Provisions of the Bill Agreed Upon by the
Senate Sub Committee.

Provisions of the Bill Agreed Upon by the
Senate subcommittee.
WASHINGTON, March 21.-The subcommittee
of the Senate committee on postofices and post
roads, having several postaltelegraph bills under
consideration, hds formulated aud caused to be
printed as embodyng the views of a majority of
the subcommittee. bill providing that the
Postmaster general shall establish telegraph
offices on Geographic circuits and at other post
Offices within ten miles of any such circuit,
where the salary of the postmaster is not less
than $500 per annum. Charges for transmission
of kilograms shall be prepaid by telegram stamps,
or by postal telegraph cards, and the maximum
rates for kilograms of twenty words or less
shall be as follows: When the distance of
transmission is 1000 miles or under, 90 cents:
when over LOCO miles and under 1000 miles, 40
cents; for all greater distances, so cents; for
kilograms directed to be transmitted by night,
under 1000 miles, Is cents; for greater dis
tances, % cents. All words shall be counted,
and for every five additional words or less, one
fifth additional to the rate shall be
charged Government business shall have
priority in transmission without prepayment
and at rates annually fixed by
the Postmaster general All other kilograms
shall be transmitted in the order they are re
transmission of special kilograms to newspapers
and commercial news associations for each 100
words or less, for each circuit of 00G miles,
shall not exceed so cents if sent at night and 81
during the day; but when copies of the same
telegram are dropped off at one more Offices
the rate for each Office shall not exceed so cents
at night and at rs cents during the day.
and at the same ratio for each word
in excess where special kilograms are delivered
at the same office for two or more newspapers.
Ten cents additional shall be charged for each
100 words or less for manifoldng for each news
paper receiving the same. kilograms shall be
privileged communications in law to the extent
that sealed letters now are. The Postmaster
general shall cause to be issued postal telegraph
cards of the denominations of fifteen cents,
twenty cents, twenty five cents, forty cents and
fifty cents, on one side of which word
spaces shall be ruled for writing postal
telegraph messages. Such postal telegraph
messages may be deposited in any letter post
box at the postoffice where there is postal tee-
graph connection, or any letter post box which
is or may be fixed on letter carrier route, and
shall be dispatched by the postal telegraph.
The money order system existing and now in
operation in the Postoffice Department SHALL as
soon as practicable, be adapted to the postal
telegraph, and the charge for trans
graph within the United States where
ever money-order offices now
or may be hereafter established, shall be the
same rates as charged upon money orders trans
mitted by mail, in addition to regular charge for
postal kilograms, but no postal telegraph money
order shall exceed 800.
The Postmaster-general is hereby authorized
and directed to advertise for three months,
in two daily newspapers published in
each of the cities of Washington
Baltimore, Philadelphia New York, Boston,
Chicago and st. Louis for sealed proposals from
any telegraph company, or companies now OF
hereafter incorporated, for the transmission of
correspondence by telegraph according to the
provisions of this act, and shall contract with
the lowest responsible bidder or bidders to per-
form, in whole or in part, the telegraphic serv-
ice, said contract contracts to be entered into
for ten years, terminable at the option of Con
gress.