As for the House of Commons forcing on the Government the 12 cent rate for messages of 12 words, that action was due largely to the expectations raised by Mr. Scudamore himself in 1868 and 1869, that the nationalization of the telegraphs would soon give the public a twelve cent rate.
Mr. W. S. Jevons’ Disillusionment
Mr. W. Stanley Jevons, the eminent statistician and economist, who, in 1866 to 1869, had warmly supported the proposal to nationalize the telegraphs, in 1875 pointed out that while the postal telegraph traffic had increased 81 per cent. in the period 1870 to 1874, the operating expenses had increased 110 per cent. He said: “The case is all the more hopeless, since the introduction of the wonderful invention of duplex telegraphy has doubled at a stroke, and with very little cost, the carrying power of many of the wires.”[68]
In 1870 each wire afforded one channel for communication; in 1895 it afforded two channels under the Duplex system, four channels under the Quadruplex system, and six channels under the Multiplex system. In 1870 the maximum speed per minute was 60 to 80 words. In 1895 the fixed standard of speed for certain circuits was 400 words, while a speed of 600 words was possible of attainment. The “repeaters” used for strengthening the current on long circuits also were greatly improved after 1870.[69]
FOOTNOTES:
[48] Report by Mr. Scudamore on the Reorganization of the Telegraph System of the United Kingdom, January, 1871.
Number of telegraph offices before and after the transfer of the telegraphs to the State:
| 1869 | 1870 | |
|---|---|---|
| London | 95 | 334 |
| Birmingham | 10 | 14 |
| Edinburgh | 9 | 15 |
| Leeds | 10 | 18 |
| Glasgow | 13 | 19 |
| Manchester | 21 | 32 |
This table does not indicate fully the expense incurred by the State in providing local telegraph systems. Under the companies the offices were all concentrated in the heart of the city; under the Post Office administration the offices were spread throughout the city and suburbs.