The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-01-26
GOVERNMENT WIRES.

GOVERNMENT WIRES.
The National Board or Trade Declares In
EavOr Of the Establishment Of . Postal
Telegraph arguments For aud Against
the Scheme.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2O-At the meeting
yesterday OF the National Board of Trade
.Postal Telegraphy" was the first sul ject
taken up +. b. Thnrbar, of New York,
spoke in favor Of the Post-Office Depart
ment assuming charge OF telegraphic COM
munication. He read q letter from Kenric
B. Murray. secret:ry Of the London Cham
Der of Commerce, replying to certain ques-
ti0ns previously submitted by Mr. Thurber
Mr.. Murray says that the result of the
purchase and operation OF the te.egraphs
by the British Government has been sue
cessful as far as service is concerned, but
not financially to the post-office, ind t!at
public opinion is now in favor Of their
king over and working the .clbles to
Europe. the monopoly OF which is now ex-
riring. The general belief is that the
qulckness, certainty and secrecy Of
the service have improved un'ier
the post-office He says the in
crease of emp Dyes in the post-office
departma mt has cen productive OF
ing The magnitude OF the service, numl er-
ing 54.SOO persons regularly employed
and about A, 600 persons irregulariy en-
p'oyed. it is exceptionally free from 'polit-
lcal evils" The Post office Department
have in their employ eminent electricians
and engineers who intro iuce imrrove-
ments annually. or adopt outside inven-
ons when thought desirable. The indus e.
ment is probably not SO great
to invent" as when the te e.
gr phs were In private hfnlA TIE
recent reduct on in the price Of telegrams
to six pence for twelve words has undoubt-
ed. ~ been of great benefit to the pubic I Q
number Of messages exclusive Of railwiy,
press, official AMI foreign ,elegrams, which
are not affected by the reduced rate and
number some 10000. 600, dispatched in
1sS6-'87 was 40, 1877 It's, compared with
80. GS7 $50 in 1856 The revenue in
lssG-7 was 9l.354, S79, against E1.-
277, 7,6O6 in 1856 The number OF mes
sages thus shows an increase OF 33 per
mt. while the revenue only increased by
per cent In conclusion, Mr.. Murray says
thai the overwhelming. in fact. almost
unanimous. feeling would be in opposition
to the return of the telegraph lines to pri-
vate management
Mr. Thurber added that the friends of the
postal telegra ph In this country contend
at the transmission OF inteilig' n e 10 q
Government function; that electricity 10
the most important means Of doing SO;
that the British service has been extended
to large nu.Ei er Of places which would
no. have mi ,yel it's benefits il the telc-
graphs la remained in private hands;
that the service has been ", atty inn
ia nf33 N 4 1 q n
Try. and great deal cheaper; that when
the telegraphs were t,ken hold Of lv the
Gov lnmen5 the uniform charge OF shil-
ling for twenty words to any distance re-
sui, ed in an enormous increase in the use
OF the Telegram b; that large additions to
the plant have been made and paid for out
OF the current receipts, and II the tele-
graphs have not each year paid the interest
OH The bonds issued for their purch sse, II
they had been credited with these better
ments, and with the free service to the Gov
erninent Department. they would have .,een
abe to show credit .sufii icient to pay the
interest on the bonds. and Il they Were cred
tied with the increased service gisea the
public beyond what the private COM
pan es were giving at the time the
telegraphs were taken over, it would now
show en- enormous balance on the credit
side; that private companies would never
have tried the experiment OF . reduction in
rates first TO one shilling for twenty words
and subsequently to SIX pence tor twelve
words
Mr. Erastus Wiman, of New York. spoke
in opposition to Government control. In
substance ne spoke as follows:
He said that in the British post-ofice report
OF 1887 the table Of receipts and expenses FOL
steadily increasing deficit, amounting dur ne
the last fiscal year to over =, sO0.tOO To mec,
this loss the whole populat on is taxed tc
afford cheap telegraph service to the
very small percentage OF the peo
pie that ever use IL. The teleg aph II
essentially the adjunct Of commerce, and
| It is est mated that not more than 26 per cen.
| OF the populace ever use il and in the United
States not over per cent. Of the revenues Oi
| the telegraphs 10 derived from family and SO
| cial messages. About per cent. is derived
| from news service, and the remainder, about 81
per cent, is commercial and speculative, The
greater part being the latter.
Is 1t at and proper, he asked, that the whole
| people should be taxed to tighten the expenses
| OF per cent of the population! Aside from thu
press services. the who number OF messages
| is about 40,OOo0O, an average OF two-thirds OF
message to each inhabitnnt As to quality OF thu
| service, all persons OF any experience In Eu
rOpean countries unite in recording the servi
| on Government teleg apis IS generally ba
| with no accountability or redress for even tn
| most fiagrant negligence II is more especial!
| taray and uncerta n in delivery when the mes
| sage passes over two or more systems Of Gov
ernment telegraphs and the rate Of tolls fol
| messages passing from one country to another
Is always greater than for like distances In thil
| country.
| or the 1900 telegraph Offices in the United
| States more than three fourths are operated b!
railroad compan es, which are obi ged to main
tain the stations for railroad service; other
wise they could not be ma ntained ex
cept at . loss. Are these all to come into Gov
| ernment employ! II the British telegraphi
system made q deficit Of e, 10000 . year,
| Government telegraph In the United States
| with four times its length Of lines and three
and . half the length Of wires to maintain, Gov
| ering an area OF country twenty times as great
| and with larger salaries, handling only abou
| the same number of messages, and adopting
the Brit sh rate OF tar 4, would probably MAX
. defic. .eucy OF Sl,.'A 0OOo per annum.
| Ifthe rightful demands Of taxpayers shoul'
require the lines to be branched and extende,
and telegraph stations opened at every post
| ofiice, the outlay for the plant would run up y
| nearly t2O l,OO,eOO and the deficit upon il
| operation be still greater. The aggregate ar
| pointees would soon exceed 10000. or dupll
| cate In number the present aprontees unue
the administration Of the general Government,
all Of whom would presumably feel bound I
/ work in the interest Of their immediate employ
ers. 1t would be the longest stride ever mad
| by one act toward GENERALIZATION Of power n
| significant step In the direction OF socialism
and the theory Of parental government.
| After further discu ssion the followin,
resolution WIS adopted:
"ResOlped, That the usefulness OF the Pos,
| Once Department should be extended in tn
direction OF telegraphic communication. an
! We urge upon Congress the earliest favorabl
consideration Of this question"
Hewitt for President.
NEW YORK, Jan. 2O-Colonel John O'Day
the Chairman of the Democratic State Com
mittee Of Missouri. declares that there
considerable talk about Mayor Hewitt fo
President In the West and that he is ia
vorably thought Of there It is not though
that the mayor will enter contest with MI
Cleveland for the control OF the delegate o
from this s ate to the next National conveu
tion unless a greater opposition develop
against the Presi lent than appears on tn