The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-05-20

Representative Cary Of Wisconsin
Argues For National Control and
operation-cites Telepost to Prove
That Lower Rates and Better serv-
ice Are Possible.
Representative Cary of Wisconsin,
father Of the bill providing for govern
ment control of telegraph lines, made
speech In support of his measure, In
which he said:
'In the mere matter of Office rental
there would be saving Of perhaps
$1,5O0,OOO a year, inasmuch as the
telegraph, being a part OF the postal
system would be operated from the
federal buildings In which the post
offices are located. The greatest ad-
vantage, however, would be its free
dom from bonded Indebtedness and
stock issues upon which the telegraph
companies now pay dividends.
"Take, for example the Western I'm
| ion, which pays a per cent dividend
on S1O0,0O0,OOO Of stock and 41a per
cent upon $3S,O00,OOO of bonds. 1t
must earn for this purpose nearly ST.
100000 year In excess of its sinking
fund requirements. In these circum-
| stances the government would reduce
the telegraph tolls at least one-half be-
tween all points and pay its employ
ees 90 If not 80 per cent in excess of
what they are now receiving and give
at the same time greatly improved
service.
"With improved methods of trans
mission and with proper economy In
constructing its lines the government
could duplicate the Western Union
plant for Il sum not exceeding $4,000
600. know one system Of rapid teleg-
raphy which would require the mini
mum of wire service and which might
be constructed for much less than the
sum l have mentioned. This system
Is known as the Telepost, the invention
Of Patrick Delany, an electrical engi-
neer of distinction, who served a long
apprenticeship as an operator. BY this
system 1000 words minute can be
sent over any circuit of reasonable
length, say from New York to Chi
cago, at II minimum price of 20 cents
for fifty words.
! A Million Words In Sixteen Hours.
"a single wire operating between
these cities would carry from a. m
till midnight nearly 100000 words
| no tal lot
ty-fve words, including address and
signature, 1t will be seen that one Tele
post wire would carry within the linn.
its Of a commercial and newspaper
day 10000 messages. 1t is a safe as
sertion that the entire volume of bust
) ness between New York and Chicago
will not exceed, If 1t equals, these
figures. To handle it would require
twenty wires dupleXed or forty II
worked singly.
! "By the adoption of some such sys
TEN of rapid telegraphy 1t will be seer
that comparatively few wires woulC
carry all the business between the
! large cities. To cover all towns ant
villages where postoffices are estab
lIshed would of course require greatel
| expansion of wire service, but undel
any circumstances the plant would b'
! less than One-fifth the size of the West
, ern Union. The enormous saving thu
effected, both in cost of construction
and OF subsequent maintenance, vii
be plain to any gentleman upon thi
, floor. With no dividends to pay, witt
q tremendous saving In rental, fue
and repairs, my contention that tn
tolls can be materially decreased an,
the employees better paid seems to b.
we'll supported. More than this, Their
, | will be, as have pointed out, create
T efficiency Of service and practically ab
5olute secrecy.
5 Newspapers Would Eenefit.
e 81 must admit in all fairness that tn
f telegraph tolls for news dispatches ar
! fairly reasonable, quite as reasonab,
. as companies paying dividends o
e enormous quantities of watered stoc
} ran make. But government telt
. graph operating a rapid automatic sys
i tenn such as the Telepost could reduc
0 rates TO so low cost that newsps
g pers, even In cities of the third an
n fourth class, could afford special tele
i graphic service from Washington
il which is the source of more interest I
o the general public than all other citie
combined" rs