“Messages to be received at any and all post-offices, street-boxes, or other receptacles for letters, and to be delivered by special carrier without extra expense.
“Messages requiring immediate despatch to have priority of transmission on payment of extra rates.
“The effect of the proposed reduction will be better appreciated by comparing the present and proposed rates.
| DISTANCES. | Present Rates. | Proposed Rates. | Reduction. | Pro Rata Reduction. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To stations within 500 miles | $0.41 | $0.30 | $0.11 | 26 | per ct. |
| To stations between 500 and 1,000 miles | 1.43 | 0.55 | 0.88 | 62 | „ |
| To stations between 1,000 and 1,500 miles | 2.41 | 0.81 | 1.60 | 67 | „ |
| To stations between 1,500 and 2,000 miles | 3.41 | 1.47 | 1.94 | 56 | „ |
| Averages | $1.00 | $0.47 | $0.53 | 53 | „ |
MESSAGES DELIVERED WITHIN A MILE OF THE OFFICE FREE.
The rule was established coincident with the introduction of the telegraph in the United States to deliver all messages in the town within a mile of the receiving office free. Special and free delivery should be the rule as far as practicable. And yet it is impossible, without rendering the telegraph of no avail in important emergencies, to establish free delivery everywhere. A message from an Eastern city to a Western village announcing peril, disaster, or death is addressed to a person two or three miles from the telegraph station. The charge for transmitting this message is, say, fifty cents. Two modes of delivery are presented,—one to drop it in the post-office, where it may lie until the next day; the other, to hire a conveyance, and send a special messenger with it to the person addressed. The cost of this special service will vary from one dollar to two dollars. Our practice is to deliver by special messenger, and charge therefor the actual cost of the service.
EUROPEAN CHARGES FOR DELIVERING TELEGRAMS.
A similar custom prevails in Europe, as will appear from the following extracts from the rules and regulations applicable to stations in the Austro-Germanic Telegraph Union, which comprises Austria, Prussia, Hanover, Holland, Saxony, Wurtemburg, the German Duchies, also France and the whole South of Europe:
Charges for Postage, Foot Messenger, and Estafette.
The instruction for forwarding despatches beyond Telegraph lines must be inserted in messages immediately after receiver’s address and charged for; messages with no instructions will be sent on from Terminal Telegraph Station by post.