The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-12-02
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commercial community hnyr bean engaged
In an unsuece.sfh erdeavof - hiring about
inlch needed reforms ~ the administration and
working of tho public '~e'errnth service over
thlr'y years have clsrs q u since ne State pnt.
ohased from about half do,rn different sLd
competing private corporations the tien sA-
lst.ng telegraph systems TIE act 81 Tnilia.
mem authorizing III" purchase and providing
the necessary funds ai-o gave tho state 4 mo-
nopoly II el~ctrca Communication and PLACED
tho administrators - tho telocraphs In the
hand. Of the Post Once The de,i Vas uni
v.rsally aprianded. FOR tho newspapers had
been brihed by tho concession - n vorv cheap
tat" for press dispatches ana the rest ~ ins
community were led 10 believe that the tele-
graph would soon bo made comparatively
IA cheap and well managed IA the penny post
Eleven years elapsed, however before the
cost ~ 'eleerapnins was reduced for the or
dipiry citizen. and practical telegraph men
were 50 tightly bound hv rcd tape that litt'e
progress in other directions was made When
the telephone was introduced into this country
from the Unitod States II was fercely attacked
by the Post ONCE bureaucrats in the belief
that II would supersede the telegraph Va
mately. after costly law suits the courts do
cidcd that the telephone eame within the terms
n the act II Parliament and could not there
fore be usod here without the consent and
authorization Of Her Majesty's Postmaster
General The postal men who controlled the
telegraph had neither the courage nor the fore
sight To buy up the American patents, lock.
stock and barrel, and 20 into the telephone
business themselves. They therefore issued
licenses to private corporations and hedSed
tiein round with such manifold restrictions
that enterprise WAS crushed and the telephone
gvatn-o ~ ,fis Tni..I KipuAnp, lara ma m Ne.
word among the nations Six wears ago the
Post o~1ce Rip Van Wrinkles awohs from their
slumbers and again appealed tn Parliament
TO help them. Parliament dutifl!ly passed
an act by means 81 which the Pest Cflce people
received funds with which 20 buy TIE trunk
lines Of private corporations. who ttencefor-
ward were to he restricted 10 local exchange
business, an arrangement which suited them
very We, indeed They obtained for their
trunk lines a price about three times their In
trtnsic value. and they creorfully accepted
the profitable local traflc and gave the Post
once the improbable trunk line work Three
years later tho Rip Van Wrinkles again rubbed
their eyes and after looking around Jaw things
which displeased them. They asked and OBJ
tained Parliamentary powers and funds with
which to compete actively with the private
corporations. or rather With the one corpora
WI i've .NutlOHsb AeclHout toInpdny-WnlCn
had survived the stress Of unfair government
Interference As might have been expected.
the result Of all this muddling. vaoillation and
inaptitude Is that this country has the worst
telephone system In the whole world. The tele-
phone has not even yet entered into the daily
business life Of the British people; It Ii still a
luz ,,ry, and bids fair 70 remain 90 for long
years TO come.
While the Post ONCE bureaucrata were thus
engaged In tie oongenial occupation Of s,rang.
ling private enterprise in the telephone bust
ness and, incidentally. In the district messenger
and tape ticker businesses. they allowed their
own telegraph business to 60 to the doCs. The
system grew steadily worse until to-day the
state Of teleeraphic Affairs IL absolutely un-
bearabls In 1890 It became evident that a
retroerade policy had been deliberately de-
cided upon and enforced. but It was not until
three years later that proof was given to the
world by the Teleoreph Chronicle. the organ
Of the ~t-legrnphers Of the United Kingdom.
By some means. which a special departmental
committee failed to discover. this enterprislns
paper obtained and published the confidential
report Of a secret commission which WIS ap-
pointed in 1895 for the purpose Of ascertAinins
how money could be saved In the ~adninistra-
ton of the teleRraphs. The commission de-
liberately reported In favor Of economy be-
fore efficiency. Controlling officers we're
warned that money must be saved ut ill costs,
and departmental protection was promised In
the event. certain OF course 70 happen. Of In
creased delay In transmission consequent
upon the saving Of pence. They were urged
to Tvc scant consideration 10 newspaper
dispatches. and the golden rule laid down for
their c-Iidance was that a minimum stan should
be kept for maximum requirements.
Needless IN say the telegraph service was
utterly demoral!zed by these reoommenda-
tons. Errors and delays became the rule
instead Of the exception. To-day II 10 nothing
unusual for . press despatch OF less than a
hundred words 10 occupy three 10 four hours
IN transmission. say. from Lendon 10 Dublin.
private messages Of twelve words very rarely |
obtain delivery within an hour OF handing
IN. and in London IL takes twice a. long 70 send |
a message from one part Of the city to another,
a few miles. than it does 70 telegraph 200 miles |
the north Of Scotland. The publication
Of the confidential report Of the secret COM |
mission reused the newspaper people TO action. |
They waited In deputation upon the newly
Postmaster General. the Marquis
Of Londonderry and heard the soft words which
proverbially butter no rarsnips. To-day. low
ever. IL Is announced officially that q new post
has been created. that Of manager Of Geographic
traffic. and thar two experienced teleRrapher, |
Trenam Of Manchester and I Mason OF
London. have been appointed Joint manager.
Both men have risen from the rank OF opera
tors. Mr.. Mason has long been manager Of
the Special Arrangements Branch. and Mr..
Irenam has been chief superintendent Of the
department at Manchester. II these
two men could h'vs free hands in the much
needed reorganization Of the telegraph service
thew would be able 10 reyolntioriza the syetsm 1