New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-30
BurlesOn EuatIes
Issue, Says Postal
Telegraph Official

William j. Dcegan, secretary Of the
Mackay companies, issued the follow
ing statement last night in reply to Mr..
Rurleson:
I'VE would point out that not one
Of the suggestions made by our gen
eral manager in the letter referred to
by Postmaster General Burlcson in any
way tends to reduce the efficiency of
the telegraph service, but all are in the
interest of the elimination of waste
and for the increased efficiency of the
telegraph service.
ave have for years fought against
the waste involved in having two tele-
graph Offices in a hotel and incidentally
paying the hotel an cXtortionate rental.
In most cases the telegraph companies
maintain branch Offices in very close
proximity to the hotels. might in
stance the case of the knickerbocker
Hotel in New York. The Postal and
Western Union both maintain telegraph
Offices in that hotel. Right across the
street, not more than fifty feet distant,
the Postal company also maintains a
branch Office, and one block away there
is a Western Union branch Office. Our
contention is that both offices in the
hotel might be eliminated without any
Inconvenience to the public, and we
don't think that any one will dispute
our contention in that respect. Many
hotel Offices could we'll be eliminated,
with resultant saving in rents and
also the service Of operators who could
we'll be used elsewhere.
Says Competition Wasteful
"There has also been practice of
maintaining telegraph offices in build
ings occupied exclusively by one com
pany, merely for the sake of corral
ling the entire telegraph business of
that company, and in close proximity
graph offices. This is another waste
which was referred to by our general
manager in his letter to Mr.. Burleson
and about which we think there can
be no dispute.
GAS far as the press is concerned
they know that the Postal Telegraph
Company has always given the best
service possible to the press, and there
was no suggestion in our general man.
ayers letter to Mr.. Burleson involving
curtailment' of the service TO the
press in any particular.
Put Local Agent on Board
"Mr. Burleson says that on August 6
he appointed committee to nvesti-
gate the proposition to consolidate
branch telegraph offices, and that
George Nj. Foote, manager of the Pos
tai Telegraph Gable Company, was ap-
pointed on that committee. We are
glad Mr.. Burleson mentioned this, as
we wish to instance this as a sample
of the policy which is being pursued
by Mr. Burleson against the Postal
company.
"Mr. Foote is merely our local
agent at Washington, and yet he
was chosen by the Postmaster General
to represent our company without any
consultation whatsoever being had with
any official of the Postal company 1t
was not until nearly month later
that We learned of the appointment of
Mr. Foote, and we promptly protested
that local agent was not the proper
man to represent our company on a
committee appointed to consider the
closing of telegraph offices throughout
the country, and we suggested that Mr..
Reynolds, our general manager. who
knows personally the local conditions
regarding nearly every Postal Tele-
graph office in the country, be substi-
tuted. but our request was refused.
DcIid cS ouIIeSOu ENdQeS issue
"Mr. Burleson's statement again very
carefully evades the issue. We are
strongly in favor of the elimination
of certain wastes in the telegraph ser
vice, and that is what we recommend
ed in our letter to Mr.. Burleson. We
do object, however, to any wholesale
closing of our telegraph Offices
throughout the country which can
only mean an impairment of the gen
eral telegraph service, and we think
we are justified in being fearful of the
treatment which will be accorded to
the Postal company by the committee,
on December 13 to conduct the opera
tons OF the Postal Telegraph lines.
that committee consis, ,ng entirely of
telephone and Western Crion officials.
and the Postal company being entirely
unrepresented"