The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-15

I
ice was introduced. long distance tolls
| were increased, time limit decreased and
rates throughout the province generally
| increased. In November. 1911, the report
| OF the telephone commission, despite these
changes. showed net loss for the year
of $4,000. The British service. it may
be mentioned here. showed loss for
last year of s., 100000.
The progressive American never goes
back to the ox-cart when a wagon is
available, or to a wagon when a motor
| truck is available. Therefore the pro-
| Gressive American is not going from pri-
vate ownership to government ownership
unless he is assured that the latter is
! the motor car and not the oX-cart. The
ma jority of the evidence SO far at hand.
in fact practically all of It, tends to in
dictate that a government owned telephone
and telegraph would be ox-cart service
| rather than motor car service.
Postal Service an Example.
The postoffice is about the only govern
ment service in the field Of public utili-
! ties. There is some difference of opinion
as to the efficiency of the postofiice. But
allowing that It is efficient there is some
good opinion that it does not serve as
! proof of the governments ability to con-
duct successfully the fourth largest in
dustry In the country as judged by in
vestment per capita. But II may be ques-
toned If the postofflce is a criterion. The
| postoffice in the first place does not solicit
business-this would be beneath the dig
nifty of the government probably-and
therefore gives no inkling OF the success
with which the government would meet
| were it trying to develop its exchanges
| 20 the maximum of business and profit
| Then the government performs but a
very small part of the mail service. In
! many communities the citizen must go 10
| the postofiice to leave his mail or to get
| IL. The transportation is handled by the
railroads and steamship companies The
| postoffice does not own its own buildings.
| the mail cars. the pneumatic tubes in
| cities like New York, or even the mail
| wagons. Mail is brought to the Office by
agencies which the government neither
owns nor controls. and the postoftice is
shown finally to do little more with the
mail than the messenger boy docs in re-
! CeivnG and delivering telegram. In
other words. the postoffice is the A. n. 7.
Of the transportation companies.
In a report government ownership
| Postmastc General Burleson makes the
statement that telephone buildings need
| not be acquired by the government, for
| the reason that the telephone equipment
CouIn u" remover 10 tne DOStO11ces ana
SGT up there. To anyone who has been
| through telephone exchange building
! and through an average postoffice this
suggestion seems amusing. The avera &c
! postoffice is already crowded: there is
no place for the telephone business In II.
! In New York the company has fifty
! exchange buildings with seven stories
| each completely filled with telephone ap-
paratus. These buildings have a com
hincd rapacity far in excess Of tho post
Office buildings. and tho same thing is
true in almost all cities and towns.
Comparison Of Development.
! Mr Burleson and Representative Lewis.
! Of Maryland have both used the slogan.
"A telephone in every home" But il may
he asked il the postoffce has extended
it's service into every home? Rural routes
reach many. but these are only on the
main roads; farmers on the hack roads
must often come several miles to the
! crossroads to get their mail. Rut these
! same farmers often. usually. in fact. have
! telephones.
In this connection It is interesting to
note the difference in development be-
tween tho government owned systems in
Europe and the private owned systems in
this country. OF the worlds telephones.
tho United STATES has s. per cent. Europe
has q per cent. Canada , per cent. and
all other countries per cent. In other
words. the United States has S.9I5.C0o tele-
phone stations: Germany. our nearest
competitor .3n"7 Co Great Britain. 81. 700:
Canada. $1,000; Russia. 3l7.7oo; France,
80 90 Austria. 16l.2nO and Italy. $500.
A testimonial to the superior develop
ment of the American telephone system
came in an odd manner several years ago
during the International balloon race out
Of st Louis. Tho British representa- tive
came down i'm the ward of rather UNI
pretcntious farmhouse in Ohio. His sur
prise WAS unbounded when he found that
he could from that farmhouse and all IT..
neighbors telephone the news OF his safe
descent to the nearest railway station and
| thence to New York and by cable to his
relatives in England.
Advocates of .'postalization'' of the
American wires overlook one fact in their
omparisons They point out that the
earnings of exchanges for local calls
averaged for seven European countries
are s2G.IS per exchange, as compared with
s3C93 in this country. But they do not
consider the difference in the quality of
service and they do not consider that the
government owned systems pay no taxes.
In the one year. 1919. the Bell system
alone paid s1o.0l0.o00 to the Federal and
state ana CITY governments III taxes.
The New York Telephone Company, to
name an individual instance. paid to mu-
inequalities in 1918 se,OO0.c00 i'm taxes and
to the Federal government sl01.6i1. Its
taxes in fact are said to have aged
! s. year for every instrument in use.
II taxes are considered In the figure OF
earnings it will be seen that the seeming
excess of profits for the private ex-
changes. small though it be. is pralaically
wiped out. In addition. change to gov
eminent operation would mean the loss
OF these huge totals to the various govern
ments, and an increase in taxation to
make up the loss.
Mr. Lewis has made much of the New
Zealand rate alleged by him of twelve
word telegram for L. cents. AS mat
ter OF fact the rate is - cents for twelve
words or less. when these must he sent
immedia tcly. and the address and the
signature are counted and charged for.
whereas these are sent free in this Coun-
try. For messages that are not urgent
the rate IL IL cents for twelve words. but
the signature and address are counted.
SO that the seeming advantage Is lost.
In the New York Sun of February Il of
this year Albert II. Gallatin wrote anent
government ownership:
some Railway Failures.
Since the French government took
over the Western Railway its service