Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-22
The latest annual report Of the British NOS

The latest annual report Of the British post
master-general contains some facts and figure,
Of especial interest to Americans as bearina
on the project Of a transfer OF the telegraph
system in this country to the federal govern.
ment. The telegraph business OF the British
post ofice earned profit last year Of about
S43O,OOO-an average of nine mills on each mes
sage sent, or Of more than 81 per cent on
the total receipts. The receipts have
fallen of, compared with the business
Of two years ago, nearly million dollars; but,
with the average fee for despatches--sixteen
understanding the same, the profile have
more than tripled in the interval 1t should
be noted, however, that when the British post
master general talks about net profits, he does
not mean to include in the net expense list the
interest on the plant even reckoned at the
government rate of three per cent; for, with
the exception of 1881, the income has never, in
any year, reached figure which would cover
that
What the English claim for their union of
the postal and telegraph systems is that the
telegraph business is done in a much more
satisfactory manner than under the old private
rule, to say nothing of the wider extension of
facilities and the improvement in cheapness
q,
among the people who use the wires most, of
returning them to the ownership of the corpo-
rations, and such a proposal, made outright
with chance Of being followed by action,
would probably call forth a storm of protest.
In applying to our country any of the les
sons learned through British experience, &C.
count must be taken, in the first place, of the
frmer basis on which the civil service stands
in the old country than here. The bane of our
postal system is the liability to new deal''
every four years, involving the dismissal of old
and skilled men and the substitution Of novices
who have to spend considerable time in the
mere process of getting hold of their duties
and becoming acquainted with the public they
are expected to serve. The effect Of frequent
changes is always to cause delays and annoy
ance; and as the wire is resorted to only be-
cause of the necessity for speed in transmission
and delivery, this danger would be a highly
important consideration in scrutinlzing
any plan of transfer. Another point
to remember is that all classes of our
people use the telegraph much more freely
than their British cousins and hence, at an
equal price, the income would bear a larger
proportion to the population Of the country
II our government should take possession of
the telegraph, reduce all messages to a reason
able figure and make that figure uniform, at
least within a certain radius in all directions.
SO that a business man could know to a penny
what he would have to pay and could stamp
his dispatch and get it OFF without any further
bother just as he does letter, it is safe to say
that twenty messages would be sent to every
one that goes now by wire; and if the necessity
for prompt and efficient service in the postal
telegraph branch should arouse public interest
still more warmly in the general cause of civil
service reform the change from private to
government control would prove a national
blessing indeed