The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-01-24
SOME VIEWS AT WASHINGTON.


consular report from Thomas c. Dawson secretary OF the
American legation Petropohs Brazil OF unusual inter
est Mr. Dawson that the telegraph lines in Brazil arc
almost entirely owned and operated by the Federal govern
ment The States OF Sac Pauo Rio Grande do Sui and
Ceara have few comparatively unmportant and unproh
able lines Certain railroads permitted take
for transmission between points served by the Federal
lines and said conhne themselves those points
The cable between Para and Manaos is privately owned
though receiving subsidy from the government The coast
wise foreign owned cables do much of the business between
the ports from Pernanbuco to Santos well practically
all the service to points abroad
The tariffs Mr. Dawson says have been changed repeat
ed since the system has been in operation From 1865 to
1870 mrcis (54 cens) charged between consecutive
stations for each OF twenty words less onehaf
OF this amount being added for each additional words
or fraction thereof message from Rio Porto Allegro
the eighth station cost mreis ($44o) present rates
it would be rI4oo mreis Cat exchange $267). In
1870 the unit changed TO kiomecrs for distances
up to klometcs distances between and
1000 and 400 for distances between and 1000, the
charge OF mire being made for each OF these units OF
distance fraction thereof instead of the old unit OF the
distance between consecutive stations. This effected small
reduction long distance messages.
Il s. Il
In 1881 the word system OF charging adopted-oc
refs per word for each 400 kionieets This proportional
system followed by increase Of 80 per cent II
the volume of business with least equal il
receipts In 1900 the reduced 10 refs per wore
on the distance basis IN 1895 it further reduced
to 90 refs, with fixed tax of refs on each telegram
and both these reductions followed by great
taon OF traffic AT the time the increased
from ao4a7ss mlreis in 1900 to 4Ss7,76o in 1897. Blu
this increase accompanied by drop Of Is per cent il
the exchange value OF the milre and the
in faster proportion To make up for this drop in
change the tariff adopted substituting the state
the unit instead of given distance and doubling the
charge per word 1t amounted practically doubling rates
and account of the rise exchange it turned
that trpled them The result is that traffic has fallen of
third while the has increased third in mil
ratea ,d
The officially reported of operating the department
in 1890 7sosos2 mlreis equivalent the then ex
change to and at the present to S77ooo. In ad
diton the subsidy the Para Amazon Cable company
7125 paid and $4,000 nres to other companies
indemnify them for tolls collected by the Brazilian govern
ment for joint traffic. Reduced terms of milres at tn
then exchange, the total expense S4Isooo mrcis,
I$I,z76,ooo.
The revenue from private kilograms within the counr
47I7445 mlreis from official kilograms by am
charged against other departments o3676a meis fror
Brazs proportion OF kilograms from and foreign
tries, 56oSo4 mireis. When telegram is handed in
government Office it is the frontier the farthes
point which the cable touches and the
mum distance retained in settling with the company II tn
sender desires it reach the cable possible it
delivered the point and word retained
For kilograms directed from abroad point the Ma
tiona lines 400 rcs word be paid This is the cor
tract with the cable companies, but in practice
is fixed and retained,
The department has never paid for itself Mr. Dawso
asserts According the official computation which doe
mot charge the department. the owed to foreg
companies for money collected their account the sui
sdy to the Amazon company, the deficits in proportion
the expenses have ranged from to 81 per during tn
past fourteen years The deficit 500 was u per cent
recent report OF the director general of the National line
complained Of the competition of the lines operated by tn
State already referred and also of thos
operated 10y private The service the prvat
and State lines admitted promper and cheaper b,
the report did recommend any decrease in the rate
charged by the National lines
This is a very favorable showing behalf Of III
government ownership idea in this country but there is re-
believe that the business here could be couducte
along quite different lines from those which prevail in Bra
Ill that within few the profits of the business undc
government control would be sufficient the osin
cost and that at the time the telegraph could
placed at the disposal of great many people tina
now enjoy it, and at cheaper rates
#
Representative Lacey OF Iowa has introduced bill pre-
vding creation OF park to be known as the eli
Dwellers National park, in New Mexico 1t propose
aside large of land embracing the caves ruin
etc. Of the cliff dweller and preserve all of these re,
Of prehistoric in such way that maximum
of benefit scientific institutions museums etc. may r.
suit The park is to be under the control Of the secretary
the interior who is be authorized permit examination
excavations etc. with view increasing the public know
edge concerning such and aiding the general
, vancemeut OF archaeological science,
The scheme regarded a very visionary in SON
quarters and in others it down OF the
plans which have real object the decreasing OF II
surplus in the treasury Mr.. Lacey, however to
very much in and says that he will do everything
his power have his bill passed The chances large
against its passage,
The plans contemplated by Secretary Root for the in
provement Of the military service of the United States
volve the expenditure OF immense of money runnir
into the millions, and number of them meeting wit
determined opposition the part OF army officers and o
Mr.. Root establish great system OF mlita
works in the Philippines and this scheme alone would
hundreds OF thousands Of dollars il carried Anoth
plan which meeting with much opposition and which Il
members of the house appropriations committee said
view with disfavor is that which looks the esabshme
Of the army college Washington barracks An INN
date appropriation 100000 asked for this item alon
Another Of Mr. Roots pet schemes is the abolition of II
army transport service OF the and the letting
the work to private He argues that the pese
system very expensive and that the government could
cheaoer nd