Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-07-15
WESTERN UNION
CABLES MONEY
Announces Resumption
of Transfer Serice Di-
rect to Belgium

The Western Union Telegraph
Company announces that arrange
ments have been made to resume
direct money transfer service to all
points in Belgium on July Is. This
service will be supplementary to its
present direct cable money transfer
service with Great Britain. The tele-
graph company in accepting remit
tances for persons in Belgium will
convert the amount deposited
by the sender in dollars into
:he equivalent amount of Belgian
francs, at the approximate prevail
ing rate of exchange in New York at
the time of the transaction.
he reop"nlrg of this direct service
should be Of considerable convent
ence to people desiring to send mon
ey quickly, safely and direct to their
friends in Belgium and the service
will be particularly valuable in trans
ferring funds to the large number of
Americans who are already on the
other side, and who will probably in
crease in number during the coming
months, visiting the Belgian battle
fields.
The Western Union claims superb
ority of its cable transfer service to
Belgium over the present money or
der system of the Post Office De-
partment, from the point of view of
both speed and cost. The telegraph
company points out that including
| cable tolls, it is actually cheaper Tex
cepting for very small sums) to send
cable transfer to Belgium by Wes-
tern Union under the exchange rates
at present allowed by the Western
Union than it is to send a u. S. money
order by mail.
transactions arranged through the
Post Office Department are under
stood still to be effected on the basis
of the pre-war value of Belgian
francs in the United States, while
| Western Union money transfers to
foreign countries are paid out at des-
tlnation at the current rate of ex-
change. Therefore, when the value
of foreign money depreciates the
sender gets the benefit, while under
the Post Office system those who
send post office money orders fail to
| get the benefit of a low exchange
rate.
To illustrate the point the compa-
| ny cites the case of depositor who
wishes to send $4,000 to a city in
Belgium. In transmitting this sum
on the basis of the present value of
the Belgian franc, the Western I'm
ion would send around 1890 francs,
while to transmit the same number of
francs by Post Office money order
would require the deposit of nearly
$3.50. For instance on the basis of a
conversion rate of 11.55 francs to
the dollar. the sender would have to
deposit only $205.10 with the West
ern Union in order to have 1910
francs paid in Belgium which is made
up of principal, 5000, transfer charg-
es, $500, and cable tolls, approx
mately $500, plus 10c tax. Via the
Post Office money order method a
sender would have to deposit $458.0 9
at the post office made up of prin-
cipal $448.54, fee $3.50, and sc pos
tage to purchase money orders for
1910 Belgian francs. This amount
would have to be sent in five differ
ent orders-four of $4,000 each and
one for $48.54. A transaction like this
shows saving of $24800 in favor of
cabling the amount by Western IN
ion. In addition to the money saw
ing there is of course the great saw
ing in time through the use of the
cable instead of the mail.-(adv)