Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-30

eminent business does not pay something
more than this average then it must be
done 81 less, for the messages in order
To yield such an average must be o0nsid-
erably above the average length of bust
ness messages (about seventeen words)
and 1t is very eXacting service, having
precedence over all other business and
requiring prompt, and often long dis
tanee messenger deliveries, or rewriting,
and in some cases to deliver by
special wires. These exhibits demon
stPate that the rate as fixed for the past
year is a great injustice to the telegraph
companies, and not on a fair business
basis of living profits awarded to railroad
companies and other corporations for
services rendered. The rates ought
therefore to be increased rather than di-
minished. By the present rate the gov
eminent is saving large sum, probably
one hundred thousand dollars annually,
by the reduced cost of the telegraph SER
vice below what other patrons have TO
pay, and that saving is necessarily
made up from other customers.
In all justice and fair dealing, the ex-
listing rate should therefore be increased.
To do the government service for nothing
necessarily imposes heavier burdens on
the people who sustain the telegraph.
If the railroads had to haul the mails for
nothing, they would have TO collect more
for other service to sustain the expense
of operation and pay moderate return
for capital employed. The government
is as able to pay, and every business con-
slderatiOn demands that 1t shall pay
fair and reasonable consideration for
whatever service it may require.
hates NAMED FOR THE ENSUING YEAR.
AS to the rate named for the ensuing
fiscal year in your official circular to the
telegraph companies of June % ult.,
which you say ''WIll be l mill a word ir-
respective of distance, for all messages,
day or night, - l have only to say that it
would not reimburse what this company
has to pay for the clerical service in re-
ceiying, counting, checking, routing,
numbering and booking the message be-
fore its transmission; that it would not
reimburse what this company has
to pay for the time of any one of from
seven TO eleven operators that would he
engaged in the transmission of q message
from Washington to Portland, Oregon;
that a message of the ordinary length
would not reimburse what we have to
pay for its delivery by messenger after it
has reached Its destination, to say
nothing of any part of the cost of MAIN
tanning the lines, battery sup
Plies, stationery, experimenting Of
fees and other incidental expenses,
and finally it would not reimburse the
cost to this company of gathering up the
business, making up accounts and max
ing the collections. a message handed
in at Washington is received, counted
and checked by the clerk at the window.
1t is then sent to the operating room,
where the circuit manager routes and
numbers it and sends it to the proper in
strument, and after its transmission it
goes to the bOOkkeeper to be entered.
What we have to pay for the time of these
several employees il certainly more
than l cent, the value of
ten word message, and probably more
than 2 cents, which would be the price of
a twenty word message at the rate
named. In further examination of the
practical operation Of transmitting a
message from New York or Washington
to points on the Pacific coast, find there
are not enough repeaters all the way in
one compound circuit. i'll westbound
business is TeIayed at Chicago Or st.
Louis, so that a message is first sent from
Washington TO Chicago through one re-
peating station requiring three operators.
From Chicago to San Francisco it is
transmitted in compound circuit through
four intermediate repeating stations en-
plOying six operators, which added to
the three first named make nine. Then
if it has to go to Oregon, passing through
repeateTs ut one intermediate station,
it would require three more operators.
This company transmitted during the
last fiscal year 81 4G3 1855 messages.
The cost for messenger service was in
round numbers 81 120 900, making the
average cost OF delivery per mes
sage about l-5 cents, although
q large number of messages
to the floor OF the exchanges, to
newspapers and by special wire deliveries,
did not require the use of a messenger.
In fact, in most large cities, as III Wash
ngtOn City, we pay by contract with the
District messenger company p cents
per message for making deliveries. You
may answer that the government sends
letters thousand miles and delivers
them for cents, but neither the govern
ment nor any other patron of the tele-
graph would submit to the class of deliv-
cries by the letter carriers. in fact, the
itself in this city charges
IOc per letter for special deliveries, and
every telegraph message requires a
special delivery. More than half the
area of this city will pay &c per message
for delivery. In respect to the cost Of
up the business and making up
the accounts for collection at many of
our small stations, they have but one
message during q month.
The war department requires that
the messages themselves be rem
dered as vouchers. If an agent
or employe of any OF the depart
ments is detained at a small station
by railroad interruption, and sends a
of ten words the manager of
that station finds it his. duty to enclose |
that message by mail to the auditor Of
the company here for collection, That |
would cost this company a 2-eent postage |
stamp. Then we shall have sent the |
paid u cents to each operator /
engaged on it, 2l5 cents for delivering it, |
2 cents to the government to forward the |
original message as q voucher, ana when |
this account is made up we get l cent |
back.
We have always been. ready to
serve the government in the prOmptest |
and best manner III our line of business
and have done a great deal for the gov
ornment without charge, giving it the /
use of wires on special occasions and /
opening new stations at considerable eX- |
Dense for signal and astronomical obser-
rations. We have had our accounts tied
for 10 Of