The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-04
Canadian Pacific Company Meets
Cut of the Western Union.
EFFECT OF THAT NEW CABLE.
Heavy Reduction in the Rate for
Messages From Victoria To Port
Angeles aud other Points on the
Western shore of the Sound-rar-
cisco Also Materially Lrsscncd.

The Canadian Pacific Telegraph Com
pany has met the cut IN rates 20 West
Sound points inaugurated within The past
week ny the Western union Telegraph
Company. To some points the cut amounts
To a reduction Of nearly 81 per cent. The
points most affected are Port Angeles and
Port Townsend. The rate from Seattle
and Tacoma 20 Victoria has been clipped
g per cent and the tariff 10 far Eastern
points has been lowered % per cent. in
many cases.
All this is due 20 the fact that the West
eFn Union Telegraph Company has Just
completed It's cable from Seattle 10 Port
Biakeley, Port Townsend and Port An
geles, and thence 10 Victoria. The old
rate from Victoria 10 Port Angeles was
N.lo: now II is IS cents. The former tariff
10 Port Townsend from Victoria was IS
cents and now message OF ten words IS
transmitted, day or night. for a quarter
The tariffs between Victoria and Seattle
and Tacoma were formerly 90 cents per
message of ten words day. and 40 cents
night: now they are respectively 10 and
50 cents. Proportionate reductions have
been made by the Canadian Pacific rail-
way TO San Francisco and New York.
The Victoria Colonist OF June prints a
story announcing the reduction in rates
made by the Canadian Pacific Railway
Telegraph Company. The old and new tar
IFS are quoted and the statement Is made
that the company is enabled 10 make the
lower rates from the fact that a more d.
rect connection has been secured TO Seat
tie. Tacoma and points on the west side
OF the Sound. According TO officials OF the
Western Union Company. this statement
is erroneous In this, that the Canadian Pa
clfic Railroad Company has at present no
different or more direct connection than Il
has had for some time since. Mr.. r. RI.
Lamb, assistant superintendent FOR the
company. with headquarters at San Fran
cisco. was shown the article in question
yesterday. He said that the statements
made therein would probably cause people
90 form an inaccurate opinion concerning
the matter.
'sThe facts are that the Canadian Pacific
Railway Company has simply met the cut
in rates which We have put into enect,
said MIR Lamb yesterday. We have not
vet opened the Victoria Office. but shah
shortly do so. The Canadian company
knew. OF course what our tariffs were To
be: that We would charge - cents per
message 10 Port Townsend, where now the
rate has been for a long time 10 cents: ihat
our tariff 10 Port Angeles would De the
rates to Seattle. Tacoma and other upper
Sound points would be materially reduced.
The Canadian company has simply met
the reduction as, of course. we expected.
The rates Will in all probability remain at
the present figures. That is all there Is 10
say regarding the matter.
The question has often been asked why
the tariff 10 Port Angeles from Victoria
and other points on the Canadian Pacific
In British Columbia has been higher than
that from Seattle TO New York, across the
continent. The reason Is found in the fact
that the messages passed through the
hands of three companies, viz. the Cana
dian Pacific the Pacific Postal from the
boundary line 10 Seattle and thence TO
Port Townsend and TO Port Angeles over
the wires Of the Puget Sound Telegraph
COMPANY. Double rates were charged
from Seattle over the line 10 Fort An
geles For instance. from Victoria 10 Sc
attic. over the Canadian Pacific Railway
and the Postal lines the rate was % cents.
An sdaitionai % cents was added TO Port
Tovnsend and another % cents on top or
that 10 Port Angeles. bringing the cost or
transmitting 10 words from one side or the
straits to the other, in the absence OF
cable, to Sis. o. il cents more than sne
cost of sending message from the racine
10 the Atlantic coast.
Seventeen years ago British CoiumDla
ocrnnanv laid a single conductor cable
across the Gulf OF Georgia. forming the
connecting link in a line projected from
Victoria to Vancouver and thence south 20
Seattle. This cable was taken up not long
ago by the Canadian Pacific Railway Tele'
yranh Company which now owns the iran
ohises and properties OF the companies
formerly operating In British Columbia.
To- old cable was repaired and has been
laid across the Straits Of F'uca, from bee
rhav hay 10 Port Crescent. There 1t stops
al present and whether the company IN.
tends building south on the west shore oi
-. Co,,nd has not vet been developed.