The Northern News. — 1898-01-15 (Carlisle, Cumbria, England)

TELEPHONE MONOPOLY.  The " Daily Mail" has learned on authority which it believes to be reliable that the Post-office has already come to a very important decision with regard to the telephone question. As our readers know, continues our contemporary, a large number of provincial towns have been making efforts to get licences from the Postmaster-General to enable them to eetablish municipal telephone services, or, at any rate, alternative telephone services within their municipal districts in competition with the inefficient and expensive system that the National Telephone Company now provides. We now hear that the Post-office inquiry into the request that came from the city of Glasgow has resulted in an official report confirming the old attitude of refusing to grant any fresh licences. The Post-office, we understand, take up the position that the telephone system is on all fours with the telegraph system, that it should not be allowed to fall into local hands for fear that systems under different regulations and possibly making different charges should be established in separate localities. The Post-office claim that, like the telegraph and penny post, the telephone system should be uniform in its charges and regulations. Under these circumstances its policy will be to resist the eranting of all licences either for municipalities or rival companies for the future, and to wait until the existing licence to the National Telephon3 Company expires, when it reliei upon b3ing able to absorb the teleple•ne system and mate it one of the branches of the national postal system. This, means that for the next 13 years, until the National Company's licence expites in 1911, there will be no means of compelling the National to give either the better or the cheaper services, which competition would obviously force.  Damage to the extent of £2OO was done by a fire at the Burnley Liberal Club on Tuesday. Nothing has been heard of the brig knisfallen which left the Tyne for Cowes the last day of November. It is believed she foundered in a gale with eight hands. Major Esterhazy has been unanimously acquitted by the court-martial which has been inquiring into the charges made Against the major in connection w:th the Dreyfus affair. At Maidenhead, two summonses against Mr. Spicer Eddy, one of the secretaries to the American Ambassador. and Mr. J. E. White, son of Mr. Henry White, of the American Embassy. for having ridden bicycles on the footpath at Winkfield on January 3, were adjourned until the 25th inst. in consequence of the receipt of a telegram from the Home ()the, stating that Mr. White, senr., had claimed diplomatic privilege for hie son. The magistrates instructed the o.erk to Communicate with the Home Secretary and report to them. The young man who was on Monday found dead with a bottle of poison by his side in a railway carriage at Exchange Station, Manchester, has bc,eii identified as Louis Meedville, aged 23, a draughtsman for Brunner. Mond, and Co., chemical manufacturers. He resided with his parents at Winnington, Northwieh, and on Saturday went on a visit to friends at Bedford, Leigh. He wired to his father, who is a confirmed invalid, on Monday morning, stating that he intended proceeding straight to his work at Middlewich. M.r. H. C. Jacques, superintendent for Burton-:inTrent of an assurance society, committed suicide on Tuesday by cutting his throat. He was not in any financial trouble. Cardinal Vaughan, Archbishop of Westminster, who has been indisposed for the past few weeks, left Victoria/Station on Tuesday, en route for Gra.;e south a France. His Eminence was accompanied by Major Dunn, and is expected to return about the middle of February. A Capetown telegram sap) Lerothodi, the parsmount chief in Basutoland, is acting with the Government in the suppression of the revolt.  A