The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-09

| must be telegraphed By the special corre-
spondents in London as well as the stock
exchange quotations. Even the reporfs
of the New York Stock Exchange must
reach Dublin by way OF London.
On Saturday last every paper in Ire
land had TO go to press without these
features. Messages handed in at D. m.
in London did not reach the Irish can
ital until II hours later and most of
them came by way of Belfast. The ex-
PLANTATION of this was that practically
the only wire working was a private line
leased by the Belfast Northern Wing"
This didn't do the "Whig" any good, how
ever. for the British postoffice comman-
deered the line and loaded 1t with all the
Irish business. Insult was added to in
jury by the fact that all the news tele-
grams although quite useless when re-
ceived had to be paid for.
The excuse made by the postal author
tiles is that the expense of laying the
wires underground would be too great
This is laaghabie when one Knows that
only about 100 miles of underground wire
are required TO complete the line to Holy
head. The Scottish lines cross a country
almost as wild and deserted In the north
of England and no objection was made
on the score of expense when Scotland
demanded an adequate service.
An effort is to be made by the Dublin
Chamber of Commerce to secure action by
the Association of Chambers of Commerce
of the United Kingdom, which meets in
London next month. The following reso-
luton has been placed in the agenda by
the Dublin chamber:
THAT, having regard TO the frequent in
terruptions to the telegraphic service of
Dublin, via Holyhead, owing to the break
down of the wires, which are nearly all
overground in England and Wales. the
postmaster general is urgently called upon
to place the wires underground for this
important line of telegraphic communica-
ton, SO as to avoid in future the inter-
ruptions complained of, which are always
source of loss and Inconvenience to
the commercial community
w. NJ. Murphy, president of the Dublin
Chamber of Commerce, is leading the
fight for better telegraphic facilities.
''The matter has been a crying griev-
ance for many years. he said to your
correspondent while the postmaster
general has been laying wires underground
in Glasgow and Scotland generally, and
at a later period to Fishguard, he has
left the Holyhead route-jerhaps the most
important of all-at the mercy of the
weather.
Il think this is eminently a case where
the Irish members of parliament should
bring pressure to bear on the English
government. 1t is no good waiting for
home rule for the Irish government would
do nothing. The trouble is in Wales and
must be remedied by England.
II have no doubt that our resolution
will be passed by the Associated cham
bers. as English merchants and brokers
doing business with Ireland are as much
interested as we are, but | do not know
what effect 1t will have on the govern
ment am quite sure that a strong rep
resentation from the Irish members of
parliament would be the most effectual
means to accomplish the desired object
Everybody knows the inconvenience of
the delays constantly recurring. Very
often important monetary transactions
are dependent on quick telegraphic In
formation and when that Is interrupted
all calculations may be upset seriously
and much loss and inconvenience caused
thereby"
The manager of one of the biggest
wholesale provision houses in Dublin,
which does a large import and export
trade, told your correspondent that for
"a hours his firm did not receive a single
telegram and did not know where to
find shipments of perishable goods. A
Dublin stock broker. whose business is
all done by wire to London, was in a
similar plight and declared that he lost
thousands of dollars in commissions.
The absurdity of the position taken up
by the postoffice authorities will be real
pays a profit of s25O00,000 a year to the
government Then the cost of constantly
repairing the broken and damaged wires
must be very heavy and would soon pay
for the installation of an underground
system.