Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-06
Or Increase in the Force of Government
Employees Will be Made Eeces-
Sary by the Scheme,
THE PROPOSED SCHEDULE OF RATES.
Some Difficulty viii be Encountered in Securing
Instant Delivery
!FRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENTS

opens with lengthy letter from the Post
master General, in which he reviews tn,
whole subject, answers the objections which
have been made and describes in detail tn
effect Of the proposed law.
Mr.. Wanamaker says that he is more thar
ever convinced of the wisdom and practica
bility of restoring the telegraph to the posta
service and making it what it was originall,
intended to be, part of the postal system
As to the constitutionaIity OF the PROPOSE
hon, he presents many arguments from rec
ognized authorities, and gives a history OF
the movement toward the establishment OF
the system for the last 20 or so years.
DETAILS OF wANAMAKER'S PLAN.
After giving many reasons why the pres
sent service is high-priced and indifferent,
Mr.. Wanamaker goes on to describe tie de-
tails OF his plan. He saws it will not in
vo!ve any addition to the immense standing
army OF civil employees nor involve large
appropriations. All postOffices where the
Tree delivery service now exists and the
offices of the telegraph companies with
which contracts would be made. would be
postal telegraph stations The charges for
the collection, transmission and delivery of
postal kilograms, other than postal money
orders and special delivery kilograms, are as
follows, briefly; for % words between
stations within a state or territory.
or between stations 800 miles anart
or less, 10 cents; for 90 words between sta
uonS in the States OF Wisconsin, Illinois.
Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Mississippi
and the States east OF them. 25 cents: for 90
words between stations in the States of
Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and
Louisiana and points west OF them, 25 cents;
lor 70 words between stations in States
forming, generally speaking, zones up and
down both sides OF the Mississippi, % cents:
Tor 20 words between any two stations not
above provided for, so cents; FOR all words
IN excess OF the first %, cent per word;
prepayment of replies TO be made at the
office from which the original telegram is
transmitted.
DIVISION OF THE REVENUE,
The contracting telegraph companies are
TO have all the revenue from the service ex-
cept the usual rate of letter postage for each
telegraph, which is to be reserved to tine
department The companies employ at
their own expense all officers, operators and
employees for the transmission of the tele-
grams. II any postmasters act as operators
they are to be compensated bya uniform
percentage on the tolls of kilograms handled
by them. The Postmaster General will sun.
ply telegraph stamps and forms.
A severe penalty is provided for the pup-
lshment OF persons in the service who shall
secrete, destroy or make known the contents
OF postal kilograms, so that there would he
no trace of power in the bill for an admin
lslratlon to use for improper purposes. With |
regard to the operation o! the scheme Mr., |
Nanamaker gives the following descrip- /
ton, which gives clearer idea of the purpose
Of the bill than any explanation that has |
vet been made:
The working of the plan can easily be seen
10 be most economical as well as most conyen-
lent. All pOStotice and letter boxes. no matter
Where they might be located would be utilized
by the public as Teceptacles for postal tele- |
grams and as the demand arose special boxes
might be esta lIshed for postal telegralns opIy
from which collections Nigh be made more |
frequently Inan from the regular letter boxes |
IN all or most of the postofices the wires of the
contracting telegraph company would be placed |
and Its operators would transmit the postaI |
telegrams TO their destination by wires Just as
telegraph companies transmit their business
REASONABLE SPEED
With postal kilograms filed by the seuders in
person or through the medium of MESSENGERS
or servants there would be no more delay in
volVed up to the point of reception at the end
oi the line than now occurs in the general tele-
graph business; and in case of postal telegrams
collected from letter boxes AZ short intervals
tie delay would generally not be greater than
IS now required to 60 to a Western Union |
branch office to send the telegram. As fast as
telegrams were received at the telegraph Office
OF destination they would be "enveopedn and
addressed and a postage stamp of proper value |
affixed, and they would then be handed over to |
me p"StoIhce by the telegraph company for de-
livery by the regular carrier service.
As the business developed and its demands |
were understood the intervals between deiy-
cries might easily be shortened. In large cities
l.s @ re are regular deliveries leaving the post
ON re almost every hour. In any case the paw
Nent 81 lU cents extra would provide for an i'm
lheHLate special delivery in the same manner as
a Ie.ter Is now handled, when a special delivery
stamp l. affixed in addition to the rerUlar most
age. No matter how remote a postoffice MIGHT ;
hc from postal telegraph stations they could al
WY nave me advantage OF the telegraph serv- /
l lce onward ana backward, for postal tele- s
grams could always be sent by mail to the near I
est telegraph station for transmission. thence 4
ny wire 70 thelT destination, they could be {
received by mail from the telegraph stations s
II will be observed thar the nostaI | 4
kilograms would be collected and delivered Inv | S
means OF the pOstOttice service and transmitted
by wire from point of origin 10 destination
through the medium of the contracting teIe-
graph company. |
THE CONPANY'S POSITION.
This company would stand in exactly the i,
ame relation to the POStoffice Deuartnent il
Inc or local express company holds which has p
/ contract for transporting mail matter from \
'ne city or town to another or between branch II
'ostoflces in large cities. In many cases a Il
POSTAL telegram would be collected, transmitted L
and delivered with no more delay than now oc- .
urs IN the business of existing telegraph COM =
lanleS; ana IN most cases the time consumed in
ne collection and the delivery especially in
espect TO postal kilograms passing between
y .lStaht cltles or towns, would not affect the
aiue @ oil the communication. Indeed it is be-
leVed a vast amount of correspondence now /
ommltted to the mails would seek the more
peedy postal telegraph channel Is
In each case the POsJoffice Department wouId | 81
arm It's postage, while the people would be bet :.
er served. The telegraph company would be es
ble TO do the business at the greatly reduced al
ates, because it could be relieved NOT only of pl
il the accounting. but of two other important it,
ems Ol expense TO II, namely the collection ,s
nd the delivery of kilograms which would he :"
emoved from them entirely and that too '"
lthout any appreciabe additional expense to ar
9e department p In cases where the amount su
70 Oe zone would not justify the th
siegraPh company IN the maintenance of a
spaTate telegraph staff the postmaster il not ,,
n operator himself, would employ an oper- | e.
tor, ms extra compensation from tine teIe- oa
raph services enabling HIN to procure such tn
elp- IN many cases the postmaster's assist an
lt OF one OF his clerks would be selected with co
view to his ability to telegraph The resnIt wv
ould be that IN such cases the telegram worl
Iuld be performed by the postmaster or his
Isistant. and their compensation thereby be
creased, and where the regular postoffice du Iol
es are so heavy as to preclude such Joint Ia, ca
ITS without their undue interference with lie
ch other, the telegraph company would en- ms
oy an operator TO give all of his time to the he
legraph. ne
ONLY THREE RATES. ia
There would be no overcharges by thrifty
orators. The charges for postal kilograms So
'uld be easily understood. There are but on
rec separate tariffs named: Is, Is and so cents