The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-02-05
RIGHT TO READ A TELEGRAM.
Receiver May Refuse to Pay for Mes
sage After Seeing It.

| .r ~ SAho AAA"AAJ ID PoPoAoA oupPOoA-
tions which are erroneous said a
telegrapher to Washington Star re-
porter, "one is that addressee or the
receiver of telegram, upon which
the tolls are to be collected must pay
the charges if he opens the envelope
and reads the message. .. " " :
"This, however, is not correct, but
it is astonishing how universal is this
belief. There ore many ways of ac-
counting for it and perhaps one may
be attributed to the fact that a letter
sent through the mails, upon which
postage is due and collectible is sur
rendered to the addressec only upon
the payment of the necessary defi-
cient postage.
"Much more Importance attaches
to telegram than to a letter on the
part OF the recipient, and it is seldom
that a person will refuse to receive
and to pay for telegram sent 'col-
lect, though an individual might re-
fuse to pay the additional postage
due upon a letter, holding that if the
sender did not esteem it of sufficient
Importance to fully prepay it, the ad-
| dressee did not care to receive it.
But there is always more or less i'm
portance regarding telegram and
many persons have received collect
telegram and then afterward kicked
themselves because they were requif-
ed to pay the charge.
"But a telegram may be opened,
and refused precisely as the address
see Of letter may refuse to receive
a letter. In the latter instance the
addressee does not open the envelope,
but endorses thereon the words re
fused by addressee,' and signs his
name, and this is the course to pur-
sue with a telegram which the address
see does not desire to accept, only the
envelope may be first opened.
"The telegraph company protects
itself in always insisting at the time
Of the receipt of 'colect message ,
that the sender shall deposit with the
receiver a sufficient sum to pay for
full tolls, and if this is not demanded
and received by the clerk accepting
the message he is held personally re-
sponsible by the company in the event
of the message being refused at the
other end Of the line.
"Many persons send collect tele-
grams often at great length and con-
siderable cost, as a means Of annoy
ance or as joke on the recipient,
but the joke may be turned OH the
other fellow by simply refusing to
pay the charges. There is one excep-
ton, however, to the rule, and the
public might bear it in mind to ad-
vantage. Often kilograms are sent
which require direct and immediate
answer. In these instances the collect
charges are expected to be paid
whether the recipient likes the mes
sage or not, and it is seldom that we
have trobule in such eases as regards
| the tolls.
"Another point of general public
interest about kilograms is the sign
ing of the messengers delivery sheet
at the time of the delivery of the
message and the noting thereon by
the recipient Of the hour when the
message was delivered.
"Some persons consider this as in
consequential and leave it for the
messenger to do, supposing that they
are doin" the company favor in thus
noting the time of delivery, not car
ing about this item so long as they
receive the telegram. Later in many
important instances, they find that
the hour Of the receipt of the mes
sage becomes of primary Importance
because Of subsequent events, but
they find that there is a discrepancy
in the time noted on the messenger
boys delivery sheet and their recol-
lection of the actual time.
"In writing telegram, and espe-
cially' the recipients name and adj
dress and the sender's name, greater
care should be used than in thel sup
erscription on piece Of mail matter
as we do not follow up the addressee
as in the case with letter which, may
not be Immediately delivered. Yet
most people, in sending a telegram,
seem to become imbued with electric
haste, write as rapidly as possible
and scrawl their signature. While it
is true the receiving clerks are care
| ful in rocciYino, messaons at tho time