The proposed union of the telegraph and postal systems / Statement of the Western Union Telegraph Company

by Western Union Telegraph Company

ERRONEOUS ASSERTION THAT A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE OFFICES ARE AT RAILROAD STATIONS.

We quote from Mr. Hubbard again:—

“The telegraph in this country is very generally connected with the railroad system, and a large proportion of the offices are at railroad stations.[^[19]] These are seldom in the centre of the towns, and are not resorted to as generally as the post-office. In the large cities, the principal offices are near the business centres, with a number of secondary offices, generally at hotels and railroad stations. The rent of the main offices is very large, and the expenses for operators, clerks, and managers are also necessarily much more than when the telegraph is connected with the post.”

[19]. By a singular coincidence, Mr. Scudamore makes the same complaint against the English companies, and in nearly the same words. See Scudamore’s Letter to the Postmaster-General, London, 1868.

It is true that many telegraph offices are connected with the railroad system in this country, as well as abroad. Indeed, no railroad would be considered complete without such a connection, but it is not true that a large proportion of the offices are at the railroad stations.

We have shown on page [8] that the telegraph system of Europe is not specially connected with the Post-Office Department. In some countries the telegraph, post-office, and railway systems are under one department, but there is no particular connection between them. The post-offices are merely offices of deposit for telegrams, and not for transmission. But supposing they were united, why should the expenses of operators, clerks, and managers be necessarily much less than when the telegraph is worked separately? We presume he does not propose to dispense with the operators, and put the telegrams in the mail-bag; or does he propose that when the government gets control of the telegraph that the salaries will be reduced? If this is his idea, we think he is reckoning on a false hope, for if there was an attempt of this nature, the operators would seek some other employment.