Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-05-12
MEET AFTER FORTY YEARS
JOhu L. Kennedy Entertaining Cousin,
J.K logan Of New Zealand.
LATTER IN GOVERNMENT ELECTRIC SERVICE
Declares Public Ownership OF TeIe-
phone and telegraph Lines works
well in His Country, hut
Wight Not Elsewhere.

James X. Logan Of wellington. New
Zealand. superintendent OF the telegraph
and telephone lines operated by the gov
eminent Of New Zealand. IL in Omaha Wis
iting his cousin, John L. Kennedy, whom
he had not seen for forty-three years.
Their last meeting prior to the one sat
urday was on the farm OF Mr. Kennedy 3
father in Scotland in 1894 In spite Of the
lapse OF time each Of them recognized the
other at once. owing 20 strong family re-
semblances.
Mr. Logan Is on his way home from an
extensive trip through Europe and Amer
lea, where he has been investigating tele-
phone service. on the journey he Wis
fted most OF the European capitals and
many OF the other larger cities. In this
country he visited New York. Boston.
Philadelphia, Pittsburs Washington and a
number Of other eastern cities He will
leave Omaha for Chicago Thursday night
and from there will go 10 Vancouver, where
he sails for home the following Thursday.
we believe in government ownership Of
telegraph and telephone lines in New Hea-
land" said Mr.. Logan Saturday morning.
but Of course, 1 could not answer for It
in other countries where conditions are
different We never knew anything else
there Owing to the small population a
private company could not AFFORD to do
what the government has done in the way
Of providing facilities for the smaller com
munities Our population is less than a
million and we have about LOO telegraph
and telephone Offices Every one Of these
Offices Is a postofice, but all postofhces do
not give telegraph or telephone service"
TeIegrnms Sent by Telephone.
Il believe New Zealand originated the
plan Of sending telegraph messages by tele-
phone. Il was I'm 1878. just after tho tele-
phone came into service, the postmaster
general came to my district and told me
that seaton, a member OF Parliament.
wanted telegraph station located in a
small hamlet in his district He asked me
II could devise a way to accommodate
him. / suggested that we might run a tele-
phone wire into the hamlet and make 1t a
telegraph station and transmit the messages
by telephone. The idea struck the postmas-
ter general as a good one and it was done.
As far as know this was. the first instance
OF It's kind.
''rhe telegraph and telephone are great
features Of our life. The government gives
extended service to the remotest hamlets
and provides the same service in these
small hamlets. except that the messages
are transmitted by telephone instead Of
rect communication can always be had
with the central towns. The result Is that
the great bulk OF the telegraph offices are
really telephone officers. In the remote
districts the Offices are placed in
stores or in ranchmen's houses and the
operators are paid by fees so the cost to tho
government is mainly in the erection and
maintenance OF the lines, comparatively
little being paid out In salaries. EN-
changes are maintained In many OF the
smaller towns with connections for farmer S
lines in all directions.
Charges for Telephone Service.
'sThe government charges fat rates for
telephoue service In the six larger towns
the charge is e. or about $S5 year, for
business telephones, and 2b. or SO year,
for private residences, with unlimited serv-
ice in the exchange. In all other places the
charge Is e5 a year. including service up TO
midnight In these smaller exchanges pro-
vision is made before the exchange closes
20 that physicians can be called at any
time.
''The telephone service is self-supportins
and the telegraph practically 80.
"Our suffrage laws are very liberal.
There is no property qualification and
women are given practically the same po-
litical rights as men. One result Of woman
Suffrage is that six OF our electoral dis
tricts are prohibition. II a simple majority
were all that Is required to carry prohibit
tion have no doubt practically the whole
country would go prohibition, but It re-
uuires a three-fifths vote to carry no H.
cense The saloons all close at 10 O'Clock
and are kept closed Sunday. The laws are
very rigidly enforced"