Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-05-21
VIKINGS FROM TIE NATIONS
CAPITAL.
Pro posed Establishment Of 4 Land
BureAu in the Treasury
Department.
THE eEHRiHe SEA FISHERIES
QUESTION.
The Aequittal Of Colorado Officials.
bismarck appeals 20 The
EN-EmpreSs.
~ Telegraph 10 the S--Efi
THE TELEGRAPH BILL
DIR. Norvin Green President OF tiIe
Western Union. Gives Evidence.

/, Western Union. Gives Evidence.
| WASHINGTON, May COR. Nor
vim Green, president Of the Western
, Union Telegraph Company, APP
. ! peared today before the House com
Iuittec on p1s;Oili-esland post roads,
and was questioned respecting the
proposed government telegraph bill
, advocated by Postmaster General
! Hanamaker. The inquiry proceeded
, n follows.
Mr.. BiUgham-DrGr Green, would
like 20 ask you this question for MY
own Information. Can YOU give
me, in any form, the difference in
your rates anu the rates specified In
the bill which / handed you this
morning, which I received yester.
dSy from the POstotiice Depart
r:eut9
Mr.. Green-Thuse rates would he
about 80 per cent OF ours for the first
Sl1 miles. For the next 500 miles
the difference would be from - per
cent to 30 per cent; most Of il would
so 50 per cent.
Mr.. Bingham-Then the rates as
set forth in this bill, from your
I knowledge and your experience, art
rates upon their face which VIII cns
tail an absolute LOST
Mr.. Grcen-An absolute loss, and
that statement would be sustained
by any practical telegraph mnn in
the country. The business would
: only BE done at loss, which would
have to lie raid in SOME wav.
} Mr.. Eins!Iam-C Could yOur COM
1 psny bid under the conditions Of
this bill?
! Mr.. GrecH-Ne could not accept
the rates. We would be doing busi-
mess NJ a loss IL we nc eptrJ those
rates. There Is no business in the
| United States that I l;now Of that
could stand such
a REDUCTION or RATES.
Perhaps the most odious monopoly
ia tie country j. the telephone.
Air. BinghIn-What other tele-
/ graph companies are there other
Imam the Western UuioU:
| Mr.. Srecu-The Postal Telegraph
| Company j. quite large concern.
! They sEe pHrhiuH cn e. Sew Orleans
and 10 Texas. They viii be there
very soon. They are alTea;iy al
Charleston and Savannah, and are
at Minneapolis, -. Paul and Oma-
/ Ia. In addition % that, MlCkay has
a separate system, which covers the
Pacific Coast States pretty gencr-
ally.
Mr.. Chambers letter, which /
| wish every member Of the committee
! would read. Tor II a "A very clear
| statement Oi 'le case, shows that il
costs his company an average Of q
| cents n message b handle its bust
ness. 10 cots US - cents per mes
sage, and We can handle the business
| cheaper than any other company
can handle lsmaii business, because
We can handle great deal more i'm
| the same Office and a great deal I
more with the same clerks. There |
is very important matter to my
company which | have not taken up |
before, and that is the criticism Of /
the Western Union made 10y the |
Postsuaster-Geuefll IN bis annual |
report. | am very anxious to tie I
heard before the committee upon
this very unjust and unfair state |
meut. The Observation-Disclosures SAYS
he discovered that the government 4
was paying for services which were
rendered 20 the public free, and he |
would have tlie President of this |
country and Congress believe they
have been dreadfully imposed upon
aud that ali his predecessors were
either stupid or cOnnived at building
up the Western Union Telegraph
Company, whereas, in point OF fact,
| have exhibits here 20 show that
at the old government rate, where
| the government was charged for
what was given 10 other people free,
that is, the address anu signature,
the gross tolls under that old rate
were only about 80 per cent Of the
tolls TO the public. That all comes
out in the suit which We have
brought against the government
To TEST THE QUESTION
whether the fixing of rates below
the cost Of the service is not n con-
fiscation Of the property without
just compt nsation. We have made
Up sn account for three months and
the issue is substah,izilE made up.
The rates 10 the public on that ac-
count are just twice rs much, or
about twice as much, as the rates TO
tine government for the last year aud
for the last SIX years, and about four
times as much as the rates fixed by
! the POs'master-t;eueral on the 2llh
0f October last, FOR the present fiscal
year, which rate. by the way, was
500 per cent greater than that con-
tanned In bis published order Of June
30th, the rate OF one mill per word
for all distances.
Mr.. Bingham-This bill provides
that the charges for all wOrds in
excess ofthe rsttwenty words shall
be at the rate Of cent per word.
How does that compare with your
rate?
| Mr.. Green-FOr most short dis
tRnces Il is only 90 per cent Of our
rate. For long distances X is only
one-ilfth or - per cent Of our rates.
As, for instance. our rate : usually
. and Or, but for many short dis
tanCes IL - - and .0l. For trans
continental messages ii is SI.OD and
IS; 50 and .O3 for additional words
is our standard rate and 10 and "a,
20 that the rates as provided In the
iii are 50 per cent, 10 per cent and
| - per cent Of our rates for addition
al words.
Mr.. Bingham-I have here sent
10 me n postal telegraph scheme,
which states that the undersigned,
David II. Bates, Henry Wise Gar
ret, Walter II. Smith, Robert An
irews and James II. Head, by these
presents, and pursuant 10 aud in
conformity with the statute, apply
under the law OF the State Of Viz
GINA
FOR A CHARTER.
Do you know anything about
them?
Mr.. Green-I do not know much
about them. know Mr. Bates
very well. He was for long time
in the employ OF my company, and
afterwards In the Baltimore x Ohio
Company AS far as | have been
able % ascertain, The gentlemen
who are named in those articles Of
Incorporation will never build a
telegraph line without help. Who
their backing is / do not know.
! Nir. Bingham thought possibly