In January, 1876, the Post Office discontinued the “continuous counting” of sporting messages.[118] It took the Department six years to summon the courage to make this change whereby was effected some diminution of the burden cast upon the general body of taxpayers for the benefit of the sporting element among the voters of the United Kingdom.
It would seem, however, that the practice of “continuous counting” had been resumed at some subsequent date. For, in March, 1906, in reply to a question from Mr. Sloan, M. P., the Postmaster General, Mr. Sydney Buxton, said: “Clubs are, under section 16 of the Telegraph Act of 1868, entitled to the benefit of the very low telegraph rates accorded to press messages; and I have no power to discriminate against a legitimate club because it is used for betting purposes. I propose to consider whether the section ought not to be amended in certain respects.”[119]
On December 31, 1875, the Post Office discontinued entirely the practice—voluntarily assumed—of transmitting sporting messages to so-called hotels, in reality saloons. The waste of the public funds that the Post Office had incurred in response to pressure from the publicans, is illustrated in Mr. Patey’s statement that the Post Office had received from a certain Liverpool hotel $0.82 a week for messages which had entailed a weekly expenditure of $2.50 for messenger service alone.
FOOTNOTES:
[98] Report from the Select Committee on the Post Office (Telegraph Department), 1876, J. E. Taylor, Proprietor of the Manchester Guardian; q. 3,835 to 3,849, and 1,246; and C. H. B. Patey, Principal Clerk in the Post Office Department; q. 3,452 and following, 3,845, 3,377, and 3,383; and Report by Mr. Scudamore on the Re-organization of the Telegraph System of the United Kingdom, 1871, pp. 31 and 32.
[99] Special Report from the Select Committee on the Electric Telegraphs Bill, 1868; Dr. Cameron, Editor and Manager of the North British Daily Mail; q. 1,430 and following.
[100] Report from the Select Committee on the Post Office (Telegraph Department), 1876, C. H. B. Patey, Principal Clerk in the Post Office Department; q. 4,900 and 4,901.
[101] Special Report from the Select Committee on the Electric Telegraphs Bill, 1868; J. E. Taylor, Proprietor of the Manchester Guardian; Wm. Saunders, Proprietor of the Western Morning News; Dr. Cameron, Proprietor of the North British Daily Mail; and F. D. Finlay, Proprietor of the Northern Whig.
[102] Report from the Select Committee on the Post Office (Telegraph Department), 1876; J. E. Taylor, Proprietor of the Manchester Guardian; q. 3,854 to 3,862.