I have the honour now to report that, in fact, reduced rates for telegrams to the United States, Canada, Argentine, Chile, Peru, and the German colonies are to come into operation as from April 1st, 1914. These telegrams, which are to be officially known as week-end telegrams, will be admitted at a reduced rate between Saturday midnight and Sunday midnight, to be delivered on Monday or Tuesday respectively. These week-end telegrams must have reached the cable station at Emden before midnight on Saturday, but can be handed in at any telegraph office in the course of the week.
The rates, which in some cases represent a reduction to one-fourth of the usual rates fixed, are:
| Pfennigs per word. | |
| To New York, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Peru (minimum charge for each telegram 20 M.) | 80 |
| To Togo and Cameroons (minimum charge 18 M.) | 90 |
| To German South-West Africa (minimum charge 15 M.) | 75 |
Negotiations are pending for extending the week-end telegram service to other distant countries.
Telegrams sent to the United States or Canada are sent at the reduced rate only to New York or Montreal respectively; thence they are forwarded either free of charge, by letter, or at the local telegram rates per word by telegram.—I have, etc.,
W.E. Goschen.
Within a month this system—for the intrinsic merits of which there is everything to be said—was extended; and Sir E. Goschen wrote to the Foreign Minister:
Berlin,
May 2nd, 1914.