Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-11
INTERNATIONAI,.

It was a happy remark of Emperor Will liam when he said that the ocean now cnnnected the different nations instead of dividing them. Tn olden times the ocean was looked on as an obstacle, but now it is more of a connecting link than land The trip from New York to London can be made quicker, cheaper and more comfortably than from New York to San Francisco. The improvements in ocean navigation are drawing the two conti- nents closer together Every step of science serves to cement the bond of union that untes all mankind in common brotherhood.
 There was a time not very far back when a man travelling from one State to another in this country had to provide himself with the money of the State to which he was going. And if was going abroad he had to use the money of the different countries which he visited. Now he can apply to a New York bank and get letters of credit available in any part of the world. He can now send a letter through the postal union to any part of the world. He can send tele- gram to any country where the telegraph penetrates, and he can prepay the tele- 2faDn IOll. HIS eicllicNCAiCht hS'9 DSSAA accomplished by the International Tele- graphic Union. In 1865 this union was founded in Paris At that time the tel egraphs of each country were isolated. This served the interest of each country very well, but was of little use to other countries. A message in those days from one country to another was subject to am infinite number of annoyances ana de- lays, and it's cost was exorbitant. The union now embraces forty dll- ferent nations. The union aims at securing unity of rates each way pe-
 tween two points. dictates a monetary standard for international tariffs, and
 makes all regulations which will insure
 quick transmission and delivery. By
 yirt,le of this unon telegram can be
 sent around the telegraphic circuit or
 the world. Starting at San Francisco IL
 will flash to New York, thence through
 England and Northern Europe, thence through Japan and China, through Aus
 tralia, around the Cape of Good Hope, along the West African coast. across the
 South Atlantic to Pernambuco, and thence through South America and Mex co to New York. The time required
 would be fifty-eight hours and the cost
 SIS per word. The union has arranged
 so that the cost of the telegram is known
 in advance. Instead of list of the
 charges by the various governments con- cerned, in the puzzling moneys they use, being given to the sender, he has the total in a currency sufficiently well known the world over to be easily un-
 derstood. On the route mentioned seven kinds of money are used: Cents by the Americans and Mexicans. pence by the Englsh, krones by the Danes copecks by the Russians, rupees by the Indian
 government, reis by the Brazilians, and
 pesos by the Argentines. To harmonize such discordant sums the union de- crees that the franc shall be the mone- tary basis. Your telegram is figured on that basis For example, at New York you will be told immediately on asking that it will cost you $1.75 per
 word to send message to Java, $225 per word to Japan, 33 cents to Spain. etc. These examples of international agree
 ment show how easily the nations can agree when they once so decide. No doubt there will be an international monetary agreement some day, and at no very distant period in the future.