The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-11-24
TELEGRAPH. SYSTEM
NOT UP TO DATE
Tavenner Says New Inventions Now
Used In Europe Are Not Needed
By American Monopoly
COMPARES SHORT CHICAGO LINE
Believes That Government Owned
System Would Eradicate High
Prices Paid For Messages
BY Congressman Clyde H. Tavenne1

BY Congressman Clyde H. Tavenner.
Washington, November. "a
There is no better way of showing
the extent to which the telegraph
monopoly has failed to perform the
function for which the American
people gave it franchises than by
contrasting it's service with that CT
a little telegraph company at pro-
sent doing commercial business be-
tween the cities of Chicago and St.
Louis. -sr
The old telegraph companies
charge 35 cents for sending and de-
livering ten words between those
two cities The new company, which
is known as the "Telepose' sends rs
words for rs cents. *
The latter is a corporation, organ
lied for profit. 1t is not giving its
service away. 1t is earning pro-
fit 1t is too small in the industrial
world to hope to break the mono
poly in a price-cutting war. 1t
charges a cent word because at
that charge it can earn a profit on
every word sent.
The Telepost' is the existing
W.T. r, iS
government, which does not expect
to earn profits, can give the public
a complete telegraph service at a
maximum charge Of penny a word,
and probably considerably cheaper
than that. @
How does the Chicago-St. Louis
company do it? Simply by making
use of existing invent lions for cheap
ening telegraph service, inventions
such as today are in use in every
low-priced, government-owned tele-
graph system in Europe, but which
have systematically been suppress
ed by the American telegraph mono
poly.
The American telegraph monopoly
has not needed to use these inven-
tions. 1t has large investment tied
up in Anticipated equipment, and
rather than throw this equipment on
the scrap heap, it has suppressed
the inventions. Being monopoly, it
does not fear that competitors will
spring up. It's service is chiefly used
by gamblers on the stock exchange,
gamblers in pool rooms, gamblers in
easy money and are not inclined TO
complain against extortionate tele-
graph charges, since the telegraph
enables them to gain their easy
money.
That the people might appreciate
a cheapening of the service has nev-
err occurred to the monopoly. The
people are not to be considered, any,
how. Their use of the telepragh lines
constitutes less than 20 per cent Of
the total business. In fact, being en-
franchised to serve the people with
a telegraph system, the old compan-
les are holding their franchises UNI
der false pretenses. The average
man uses the telegraph only in case
of death grave crises.
Ninety per cent Of all messages
sent by the American telegraph COM
panies go on the antequated simplex
system. That is, one message at a
time on a single wire. In some of
their busiest offices the companies
send quadruplex, or four at a time.
The telepost invention sends more
words over single wire than the
old system can on 6S simplex wires
or on l worked quadruplex. 1t can
send 1000 words minute, much
faster than words can be spoken
and the same wire can be used stimuli.
taneously for telephoning. 1t can
send press news 60 times as fast as
the old companies now handle it
The result is a great cheapening CT
service, cheapening that all the
people might enjoy if the govern.
ment owned the telegraph lines.