The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1889-08-09

In Regard to Telegraph Aotis Va ~ 80
by the Governments.
NEW yoRK. July 3o.-The following y
tho substance ~ the protest .; the West
ern Union Telegraph Company against
the Postmaster-G .nerals great cut Of
the rates 10 DO paid for telegraph scryica
in the transmission aud delivery of Gov
eminent messages. giving the history q
the act OF 1856. and the actions hereto
fore taken under IL:
The rate IN force for the past 1--WE years has
not been q uniform rate Of one cent per word.
as many papers have assumed. but increasing
on scale OF distances above q thousand miles
With a minimum OF twenty cents per message
and maximum Of TWO and "A half cent pei
word. The telegraph companies hold. ami are
so legally advised that the language OF the ac'
does not give the Posfmasicr-Gcneral absolute
power 70 Tx any rate he may deem NJ IhA'
power is qualified bv constitutional rcstrc'
lions In article is the language; NO shall
private property BE- taken 'or public use with
but just compensation" The power depends.
therefore. on the question:; Is one mill per
word a Just compensation:
After relating the circumstances lead
Ing 10 the enactment o. the acts ot 1853
aud ISL, giving 10 the telc graph compa-
mics certain franchises aud privileges.
aud to the Government certain advant-
ages aud privileges. including priority OK
service AZ rates 10 be annually liked by
the Postmaster General. the letter pro-
cceds:
The liking OF rates does not appear 10 have
been considered an imperative dutyof the Post
master.Genrrai. FOR no action seems 10 have
been taken ny that off.ccr 10 the direction OF
liking rates until July !. ot 1874. when ihs me-
ccsslty for i was alleged 70 have arisen ny rca-
son ~ The complicated character % the
service IN Transmitting the signal wealth
cr reports. The rates were then fixed
satisfactorily 10 the telegraph companies.
They were not annually revised natal some
years later. and in almost every Instance the
telegraph companies were corsuitedas % what
Ley could AFFORD 10 do the service for. In TWO
instances Postmaster General Jewell and
PosimasferGencra James. at the Instance OF
the telegraph companies. recalled and mod.
Ned their orders a.icr they had been ctiicially
proclaimed,
The Language OF the act tina. messages
between The several departments Of the Gov
erment shall have priority over all other bust
ness al such rates as the Postmaster General
shall annually nix. may be construed As con-
tcmplating the fixing o. higher rate than IS
paid by other patrons. because OF such prior
It's in transmission over oil other business
Certainly II never contemplated concerning the
power 10 fix the rates below the actual cost Of
the service. Such action is nothing snort Of
conhscation and cxpr ppratlon Of the prop
erty and service OF the employees 70 the Use Of
the Government without just compensation
therefor. Twenty cents for twenty words or
less for distances of one Thousand miles or
less. and one cent for each additional word
and one-icnfh 81 cent per w0rl for each all
ditional one hundred m les or fraction thereof.
Is. for distances OF about one thousand miles
tas between Washington and Sew York and
ST. Louis or Chicago, scarcely oEe-hal: the
rate paid ~ The public on current messages.
For distances Of three hundred miles ami IN
der il j. about thrce-forrihs the commercial
rate. The working expenses Of the company
without any return for any part OF the capital
employed. cost within a fraction OF seventy
fye per cent. OF he total earnings n. there
fore. the Governments rate averages less than
seventy hve per cent. OF the rate 70 the public
ias il undoubtedly docSy then the Government
Business is now done AZ loss. The average
cost TO the company OF handling messages j.
as cents per message. II the Government
business does not pay something more than
this average, then il must he done IL loss. for
the messages. Ia order 70 yield such aver
age must be- considerably above the average
lenrra OF business messages about seventeen
word-p. and il i very exacfin- service. hay-
;ng precedence over all other b1siness. and re-
quirn< prompt and often ov-tiisiancc mes
sengcr deliveries or rewriting III some cases 10
deliver y special wires
These exhibits demonstrate that the rate as
fixed fo- the past year l. great injustice 10
the telegraph companies. and mt on fair
business basis Of living profits. awarded 70 rail-
road companies ant other corporations for
services rendered. The rates ought. there
fore. 70 he increased rather than diminished.
By the present rate the Government Is sav-
Ing large sum--probably sie).0)}--annua.iy. By
the reduced cost 81 Is telegraph service below
what other patrons have 20 pay. and that saw
ing il necessarily made up from orher custom
ers. III all justice and fair dealing the ex-
Isting rate should therefore. be increased To
40 the Government service for nothing neces-
sar IL imposes heavier burdens on the people
who sustain the telegraph. The Government
IS able 10 pay. and every business consideration
demands that IL shall pay fair and reasonable
for whatever service II may re-
luire.
A. 10 fhe'rafe named for the ensuing fiscal
year Ia your oficial circular 70 the telegraph
companies OF June 20 ulfimo. which. ven say.
will be one mill word. irrespective Of dis
tancc. for all messages day or night have
only to say that II would not reimburse what
This company has 10 pay for the clerical service
in recei ring. counting. checking. routing. mum
boring and booking the message before ITS
transmit ssion that IL would not reimburse
what this company has 20 pay for the time OF
any one OF from seven TO eleven operators that
would - engaged Ia the transmission Of
from Washington 70 Portland Ore
that message OF the ordinary length would
rot reimburse what we have 70 pay for rs De-
livery by messenger after II has reached ns
70 say nothing Of nnypart or the
cost of maintaining the Ines. battery supplies.
stationery. experimenting. ONCE and other IN
celestial expenses. and. finally. y would not
reimburse the cost 20 this company Of gather
ing up business. making up tho accounts and
making tho collections.
A message handed in Al Washington Is re-
eeiscd. counted and chcckedby .Ae clerk at the
window. tits then sent 20 the operating room.
where the circulating manager routes and num-
bers II. and sends IL 10 the proper instruments.
After is transmission q goes TO the book keep
er 10 be entered. What we have 70 pay for the
time OF these several employees is certainly
more than one cent the value OF . ten-~ord
message. and probably more than two cents
which would be the price 81 y twenty-word
message al the ratio named Messages from
New York or Washington 70 points on the Pa-
{ nc coast pass through the hands Of from six
10 nine operators. TO Oregon ~ requires three
more operators. THIS company transmitted
during the last nseal year 5l.s13 e,s messages.
The average cost u delivery per messag was
about - cents.
You May answer that the Government sends
letters a thousand miles ana delivers them ~
two cents. int neither the Government nor any
Other patron ~ thr telegraph would submit Y