Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-02-09
TELEGRAPH TOPICS.
Discussion of Postal Telegraph and the
Monopoly of the Western Union.


Washington, February S.-Gardine
G.. Hubbard made an argument befor,
the senate committee on postof1ice
and post roads to-day upon the genera
subject of the postal telegraph, and
particularly in answer 10 the recent
argument of Dr. Norvin Green. He
said that under pressure of discussion
the Western Union company, accord
ing to the admission of its president
had been forced TO begin the work OF
reducing its rates and improving its
methods. Between the years of lS6Saud
1878, the average rates have been re-
duced from Sl.0i to 80 cents per mes
sage. Under this reduction, the num-
Der of kilograms increased from six
million to twenty-four million per an
mum, and the profits from S2,60O,0O0 to
So, 800, 900. Then change had taken
place in the policy of the Western
Union company by which other lines
had been absorbed. and the reduction
in rates ceased. From 1878 tot the pres
ent time, the reductions We're only
nine mills per message. Was
this the way to treat the public?
Did not the Western Union company
know that new competition would be
brought out? The whole history of
the company, with exception of the
period from 1868 TO 1873
would teach this. 1t was
this course of the Western Union
which had led the public to ask If the
stockholders had not Jared well
enough, and il now the public had not
some rights in the premises, The tel
egraph bushes was bound to be a
monopoly, whether carried on by
the Western Union company, or
not. 1t was true we had new compa-
MES. Garrett would come before the
committee tomorrow and say he does
not propose to be bought out He said
in 1878, when he had built another set
of competing lines costing Si,0OO,0O
and subsequently sold them to the
Western Union for 81 500 900.
G. G. Reiiny, interrupting, stated
that this was incorrect. Garrett allied
his lines with the American Union,
bnt when the American Union was
sold to the Western Union, Garrett
refused to allow tina Baltimore d ONO
lines to be transferred, and they re-
main intact to-day.
Hubbard, continuing, said II INES
were built and managed AS proposed
in the bill by the chairman of the
committee, (Senator HID, there would
be an annual deficit which me
treasury would pay, and private
lines would be swept
away. Evarts had maintained
that the government should
not to go into this matter unless IL
purchased existing lines. This he
iHubbard) would agree. TO II the
Western Union lines had been built
by contribution of stockholders, put
this was not the case In 1856 the
Western Union had 10000 miles oil
wire; ia 1885 IL had $4,000 miles, and
not dollar OF money had been SO con-
tributed. All was PAID ior py
the public, in addition TO
dividends TO stockholders. In answer
TO an inquiry Ex-senator Palmer, Hub
hard said he supposed the Stockholders
~ tbe Western Union had actually
Contributed in money about $500 0o;
that the contributions of Western YIN,
ion stockholders and others who had
built competing lines now part OF
the Western Union, was altogether
about IS, 100000. 49,
senator Hill asked what grounds
the sneaker had for asserting that un-
der his iliill's) bill there would he an
Hubbard said in reply that the av-