The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-12
POsta, o esr"ph.
The following is the extract from POST
,naster-General Bisselrs report:

The suggestion has been made so ire
.o,,.n,l1 m recent years that the Govern
tnent should provide and maintain le'e
.,raub system winch, If adopted "oulu
naturally make IL part OF the IoSr
rfice Department that | have gwen the
subject cons .deraDle study.
In it's favor it has been argueu ti INA.
tho business of the telegraph Is lnherehllS
tho same as that of the mail, to-Wll' 10
trspsmit messages from one person 70
another: that II could be conveniently
annexed TO the IOst-Oiiice Department
bacause of the latters already eAisli's
organization OF Offices, free delivery spe
clal carriers and general olhclals' anu
that. through the saving OF direct eNp'n
ditureS for many leading items Vi 90
the nublic would secure quick anu thoI-
oughly reliable service at HiuVh io"0'
than commercial rates.
II il further argued that the system
ought TO be adopted in THIS country pc
cause IL has been In many otheIS' NY
immediate predecessor in once seems "
have spent a considerable amount Oh Niile
i'm the study OF this subject TeaCnlns tne
conclusion, as have others, thd' 'he S''-
tam should be adopted. -
Nv study of the subject, coupled win
nv experience as an officer Of the POST
Office Department leads me 10 a contrary
conclusion In some OF the leddlhs COuA-
tries of the world the pOstal-leiesl@P"
system is a source of profit. Dut hoI 80 III
all of them; but even where plOHtduIt ],
is operated within the limits OF postal
tarritorv long since defined. The cOndi-
lions of the postal services in TINS couh-
nv however. are so widely different as
70 induce the belief that a postdfteIe
granh system in the United States would
odd enormously to the already large de-
dcit of the Post-Ofiice Department.
believe il to be the true policy TOT TINS
Government TO continue for number oil
Years the development of the postal ser
vice on present lines. We are far from
reaching the full benefits that can be de-
rived from the free-delivery system the
railway-mail, the money-order, OF even
the star service. Until these dement's are
greatly enlarged and perfected ana uhlil
our better classes or service are suo9u-
tuted for the more crude in vast areas
of territory in which the latter are alone
Justified under existing conditions, addl-
tional features should not be adopted; az
least such as would bring an additional
burden to the department In the way OF
deficiency of revenue.
Moreover, ! am not prepared al TINS
time to say that telegraph service couid
be fully accomplished without material
changes experimenting the present post
office organization, and without mourning
heavy additional expenditures. To under
take such service simply through the
fundamentally of the present organlza-
ton would have a tendency at once 10
cripple the existing postal service, ne
cause its present organization is without
a reserve and this would result In all
likelihood. in an imperfect postal-tele-
graph, which would not be satisfactory 10
the public even at reduced rates.
The public would naturally expect bet
ter service and cheaper rates from gov
ernmental control, and there would nave
TO be sufficient power vested in the Post
master-General to enable him 10 accom-
plish these results should the Congress
legislate I'm favor of the telegraph ser
vice, even though it should involve the
expenditure Of amounts greater than the
receipts.
1t would seem that a comparatively
small country, territorially, like Great
Britain with it's large population, great
commercial interests, and distribution OF
cities. would furnish as favor BILE condl-
tions for the operation OF successful
governmental telegraph system as any IN
the world: vet the report of the British
Post-Ofhce Department to the House OF
Commons, dated November z, 1893, shows
the cost of the plant, up TO the end OF
the fiscal year 1893, TO have been SJ2'95J'-
3SS Interest upon this amount, al the
rate of ga per cent. per annum' Is
cndrgeu IN the cuIItHl dNSOuHN '@''N'
amounts TO 81 ,i59.0Si
In the oueration Of the service there
was a further loss Of SSii, ~, so that the
total deficit for the year amounted 10
60 267. S25 The deficiencies have been con
tinu)us since 1876. and have aggregated
since 1872. S2i,005, 4S2 and In the last ten
years the average deficiency mas beeh
nearly 81, zoe, 900. In Great Britain the pos
tai service proper yields a large revenue
Ia
IL can be said that IL can afford the luNu-
~ of q postal-telgraph Under our postal
system, however. partly dndeyelCped as
i still remains. o telegraph system would
be operated at great loss 10 the Govern
.nent: and this burden. it seems TO me,
should not be added to the Post-Ofiice
Department.
II the establishment OF a telegraph
plant in a compact country like Great
Britain would cost over ,52,oOO0o, what
would be the cost of establishing plant
for this country? | will not stop 10
make a computation, but one can see AT
q glance that the cost would be many
times that Of the British plant. and the
annual interest charged many times
sl,455. 5Si: and If the loss in operation were
over $4,000 in that country in one year l
should think Il would be many milliops
OF dollars in a country the size OF ours,
with its unequal distribution Of popuIa-
ton.
There are IN this country to-day two
post offices separated from each other ~
post route more than 5000 miles. II Is
true that We have. in round numbers,
more than 10000 miles OF railroad post
route. but i beg to call your attention
10 the fact that we still employ star
service to the extent OF 10000 miles In
excess OF all the railroad and steamboat
routes In the country combined
| reach the conclusion. therefore, that.
as a business proposition, the Govern
ment cannot afford, at this time, TO estab-
fish a postal-telegraph system. l believe
Il would be very Improbable In itself,
and that II would tend TO retard the
DEVELOPMENT of our existing postal sys-
tenn. il has been opposed by some on the
ground that the Government has not the
power, under the Constitution, to estsb-
fish telegraph routes; others doubt the
expediency OF increasing the number OF
employees in the public service
While l have considered the subject
from a purely business and postal stand
point. still ! may add the remark that