The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-07

ershlp Of our telegraph and
telephone lines Is to be
esarted in Congress very shortly. 1t
Will probably have the backing Of the
Administration
What Is understood to be the arst
step In this new departure has al.
ready been taken by making arrange
ments for the transfer to the Post
Office Department Of the government
owned telegraph and cable system
covering Alaska, and connecting
that Arctic province with the United
states, which hitherto has been un-
der the management and control OF
the army. This system has been
conducted with an efficiency 80 ad-
mjrable as to afford the best imag-
Unable illustration of what Uncle
Sam Is able to do as q manager OF
telegraph business.
An Act OF Congress will be re-
Z ouired to accomplish the transfer In
4 ouestion, but beyond a doubt it will
be passed, The Washington-Alaska
system, as 1t Is called, will then
become a part Of the regular postal
service. And, after a while, when
4 the government shall have taken over
all the telegraphs In this country,
Il will become as much a matter Of
course to transmit messages by wire
through the post Offices as to send
letters.
The resulting advantage TO the
people will be enormous. For one
thing, It will mean cheap messages.
Telegraph service will cost half, or
less than half, what It now does. In
addition, II will be much more reli-
able.
Every civilized country In the
world, except the United States,
a owns and controls its own tele-
Gaphs-the hrst government TO 40
Quire such ownership having been
that of Belgium In 1852. All over
Europe the cost Of telegraphing Is
less than half what II is here, and
che service IN some instances Is In
oomparably better. In any instance
where 1t may happen to be unsatis-
factory, somebody can be called to
account for the fault. In our own
country 1t is commonly unreliable,
and the person who suffers has no
redress. He may complain, but he
gets no satisfaction.
Take England, for example. In
7. London the wire service Is so cheap
that II a person is to be asked to
dinner the invitation is as likely as
not to be sent by telegraph. The
cost Of the message Is only slxpence
for twelve words. In England near
ly 30 per cent Of all the messages
dispatched by wire are social-to
use the term In Its broad sense, mean
ing non-commercial. But In the
United States people cannot AFFORD
to use the telegraph much In such
ways; 1t is too expensive. Less than
] per cent Of the messages In this
country are social. and more than
80 per cent relate to the stock mar
ket and racing.
1t should be explained, however.
that this small rate does not apply
merely to the city OF London One
may send q telegram for sixpence
T. twelve cents) to any part Of Eng
land, Scotland or Wales-a message,
. that Is to say, Of twelve words.
II the government tnkes over our
own telegraphs, we shall soon have
ten-cent messages In all likelihood
for such distances as are covered
to-day by the twenty-fve-cent rate.
This Will make the wire service an
every day convenience to the people
generally, instead Of luxury to be
used only once In while or when
necessity compels. Quite possibly
telegraph operators may be picked
out for appointment as postmasters
IN small places.
The Washtngton-Aleska system
was built by the United States gov
ernment few years ago for the pur.