The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-30
(By Edgar Ouphant.)

L<onOoN, jan. 3V.-ln America,
where practically nothing is in the
hands of the general government. with
the exception of the postal service, and
when you are having a deal of dis
cussion in regard to the further de-
velopment of that service in the face
of a big annual deficit. 1t will interest
all of you to know there is little doubt
that the postal department of tho
British government will 500 take over
all there is of the telephone service
which is under the control of private
corporations.
AS you all we'll know, the govern
ment has owned the telegraphs for
moro h Il quarter OF u century. and
1t is under the direction of the depart
ment of posts. For long years we
have had the parcels post. which you
arc now discussing. and as for rural
delivery OF mail and kilograms, that
came long as d matter of course
In so crowded a population as ours. l
don't write this to Crow over you or
to eXalt England and her institutions,
but it cannot but be interesting and
Instructive to many readers who are
not informed in the matter that we
get along without the luxury of a pos
tai deficit. that we had two-cent post
| age long before you dropped the g.
cent rate. that the government now
owns and operates more than $4,000
telephones and is preparing to take
over the entire telephone business Of
the kingdom.
We are behind the continental
countries in that We don't own any of
the railroads. That is another story.
The railway interests are so vast and
generally so profitable n the influ-
cnces are so great In their control that
really nobody except somc of the most
radicals of the Socialists talks OF the
requirement of the railways, and even
the Socialists rather Minimize the i'm
portance of such Il step until they have
the big majority and are prepared
enough. and powerful enough. and
wise enough to take over all the basic
things OF production. transportation.
communication. distribution in all its
forms. making. creating and doing all
things after the manner If the most
advanced people of the continent of
Utopia.
Thus it is that while nearly every
european country on the continent
has government ownership of railways
and telegraphs we have only the posts
and telegraphs and prospect Of the
ner ownership of the entire telephone
system of the kingdom. which will be
a step in advance of some of u
neighbors across h big channel.
Interesting Estimates.
Estimates have been made of the
cost of acquiring the phones and wires
of private companies. but definite in
formation has not Vet bcen given to
the public. Meantime. the govern
ment. through tho department of posts
goes right ahead developing its own
system. Many of the London en-
changes. and most of those in the
provincial cities and towns. have been
and are still using the old switchboard
on which the subscribers ring causes
a shutter to drop above the head of
the operator. who. to get the number
must look up. then down at the lack"
corresponding and then put in the
key" Government. more enterpris-
ing than the private companies, has
been introducing the newer switch
hoard with which you are perfectly
familiar in America. as it is al Ameri-
can invention. which has the little
glowworm lamp signal directly under
the eyes of the operator.
The private corporations have
bought nearly all of their materials
abroad. principally from America.
of home production. That branch of
the postal service which has the di-
%rection of the telephone is giving spe-
cial attention to this, and it IL pro-
crossing admirably. Not only this. but
it is experimenting with an automatic
pno with q dial n pointer with
which III subscriber "a connect him.
self with any other instrument and
call the number without the interven-
ton of the phone girl" Moreover.
the wayfarer can drop in his penny.
which is the charge for ordinary use
of the pay phones, without waiting for
the girl to connect with the person
called. and if there be no answer the
exchange can automatically toss the
penny back to the person who dropped
it. This automatic instrument has
worked we'll in experiment. and will
be tried on ~ large scale in the spring.
Thus the government. that is the pos
tai service. is something ahead of the
private corporation. and I fancy in
this We are something ahead Of you
in America. "Yankees'' as you are.
Possibly the corporation would have
been reader to make Improvements