The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-03-01
POSTAL TELEGRAPllY.
DR.. Norvln GREEN'S Speccl, Against Dir.
WapnMnker'A Scheu,ex az;

Ur. Norflh GrecRs speech Against Dir.
Wapnmnker's Scheme.
WASHINGTON, D. G., Feb. 2S.-Poat-
master General 1Vanamaker, Judge
Tyner, the Assistant Attorney General
for the Postoilice Department, and a
number Of prominent telegraph men,
were present at the meeting Of the House
Committee on Postotlices and Post Roads
to-day, to hear DR.. Norvin Green, the
President Of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company, address the committee
in opposition to the proposition OF the
Postmaster General to establish limited
telegraph system in this country.
Dr.. Green said he had no set speech
to make. He promised that everybody
knew that the European governments
owned and operated telegraph lines, but
none Of them Ind operated them so
cheaply and satisfactorily as corpora
ton could. The governments had as
sumed control OF the European lines 10
protect the government; in this country
the people needed to be protected from
the government. 5-,5.
DR.. Green produced a table containing
statistics concerning every telegraph
company in the world. The table show.
ed that in this country 57,OO0,OOO mes
sages were sent, against $4,000 900 for
all the rest Of the world. This country
had ISL, 900 miles Of lines, against 97S 900
for the rest OF the world, and G7O,300
miles of wire, against I'LL, ,9GS for the
rest OF the world. The Western Union
controlled ten.elevenths OF the wire in
this country. The Postal Telegraph
owned most Of the remainder, His
position was that the Government OF the
United States had no business with the
telegraph. It certainly could not do the
service better than the Western Union,
The people certainly were not asking
for the change. Not more than 1000.
900 people out OF the total: population OF
the country used the telegraph in any
one year. Forty.six per cent. of the
amount Of the telegraph business was
purely speculative. The pool rooms and
horse races in New York city paid the
company $3.50, 600 last year. Very much
better would the Government take the
coal mines and the railroads, because the
people have more need OF them. Il
In this country there were more tele.
graph offices than Postogjces. In the
older part OF the country It was ~ per
cent greater, and yet Great Britain
owned both telegraph and Pastoflices,
Did that look as If the Western Union
was not keeping abreast Of the times
IN North Caroliua the Western Union
had telegraph Offices that did not pay 25
cents day In gross receipts. The chair.
man said that 1t was proposed to pay the
operators out OF the two.cent charge .for
the postage stamp; he would like, to
know what tho operating cost was. DR..
Green replied that a; close estimate
placed it at 5 cents per message In cases
Al long distance messages It ran up 10 q
G,ns. The average compensation oi
Anst.class operators was SIS per mouth,
| The chairman wished To know how the
rates suggested by. the Postmaster Gen.
eral compared with the present rates.
Dr.. Green replied that generally they
were two.titths lower. In the case OF
long distance messages they were one
hall. The average message was twenty.
o1e words including addresses and sig'
Hatures. i : 3 Why Is It that the
British Government having had it's tele.
graph system Tor twelve or fifteen year.,
paying the operators half our salaries,
with a system placed $ in an open
country, In a small area thickly popu'
lated, costing aboht .one:guaster Of The
aost Of our present system Ito maintain
why. *asi it that that government had
resisted the attempt To- lower the exist.
ing rate 2, and why had the Postmaster
General, after resisting the attempt for a
year and a bali, finally agreed to only q
slight reduction It was because The
Feceipts oi tho system'lacked $lO6, 6,do0 o.
paying tho interest on the cost Of ths
plant at three ner cant..itss d t,ll 7'jlI'