The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-06-04
THE TELEGRAPH IN pNc7>,

Government TeIegraphs and
Phones-Important Facts Ana
Figures From European
Countries.
AS taxes upon the diffusion Of
ligence among men and defciano;'
in the postal service affect evor~0A
I condense the following from n. Ua
cial report on the workings of thu
eminent Telegraph in England y
to our government by the United o.
Consul at Southampton England.
printed in the last number of the Gc]'
sular Reports" He says:
"On January 90, 1870, all the ),
graphs in the United Kingdom
acquired by the government from
corporations which had previoush ~
Grated them, and thenceforwariST Z
came an integral part of the postcs"
The English people owed this pm.
measure in their interest, like 90 ns,.
others, to Mr.. Gladstone who ~
down all opposition from the Conn,
MES who were making big pnss
Till then the districts paying beah.
ample service, though at high rs,
(as is still the case with u.s. while vSI.
sections off the lines of railway VA
destitute of telegraphic facilities, M
Government at once extended them
graph to all sections and reduced a.
rate to one cent q word. The fObD
ing is the result. In 1870, under nj
vate ownership, Z million indiyinJ
messages and % million words Of mo,
dispatches were annually sent. Ns
that the telegraph is operated bvh
post-Offce the annual number Of inn
vidual messages sent is 70 millions IN
times as many and over 900 mlm
words of press dispatches go timsa
many are used. This at a gsnn
demonstrates the overwhelming benz
fit to the public of the change and ab
appreciation of it.
1.-The press rates have been reduS
so low that every weekly countrym
per can afford to print the lateaHs
graphic dispatches as it goes to wm
and a telegraph or telephone is at ever
country post Office. In London &
telegraph has largely superseded as
mail for all the small and neceasV
details of life-to announce that You
are going to dine at a certain house o.
to inform your wife that you are DE-
tanned on business and not to keep din
ner waiting and the like, over 10000
kilograms being sent daily in that city
alone. The following is quoted fromb8
Consul verbatim: The service ipE
formed with the most perfect puncE
ality. 1t is calculated that the aver
age time employed to day in the hans
mission Of a telegram between two
commercial cities in England varies
z to 9 minutes, while in 1870 (mdg
private ownership two to three hOn
we're necessary
1.-THE rate of one cent a word inCluda
delivery within the postal limits Of ml
town or within one mile of the pa
Office in the country. Beyond ta'
limit the charge is IL cents per mile ia
delivery of a message. The Telegram
being operated as a constituent pS
of the postal service it is not pOaha
to state how much profit the govern
ment receives from it, but the Engla
government does not consider that .
should be treated as a source Of r8Vs
nue.. 1t regards it as a means Of lnta
nation and education for the mass
and gives facilities of all kinds tf u
use and it's extension in all directions
This unbiased and impartial rep0N
officially made to our government
worthy of thought and considerst0a
1t may be added that in every ciVlna
country, except this, the telegraph a
long since been adopted as one Of %
indispensable agencies of an up'todSs
post-ohce department. Even in hl
civilized Paraguay (as we deem it t9
have better postal facilities than W.
for the post-ofice there transmits 's
grams at one cent a word and rem
out telephones at 81 per month.
Atpresent, owing to highrates, BP
cent. of all kilograms in this countyS
sent by spectators (who thus getSn~
vantage over producere) and oniySP
cent. are social or ordinary buiDs
messages. In Belgium, where
government rate is less than one
per word, the social and ordDSI
business messages between man
man are So per cent. of the Wv
Figures could not be more eloqusD-
80 HK