It is suggestive, that, of more than a hundred inventions designed to supersede the Morse telegraph, the latter instrument is used to-day on more than 490,000 miles of wire out of the total of 500,000 in operation in all parts of the world. Mr. Hubbard’s assertion, “that instruments are in operation in Great Britain, worked by boys, after instruction of one or two days,” may be true. From all accounts, the use of boys—and charity boys at that—has been the great curse of telegraphy in England, until the saying has become common there, when describing a remarkably poor specimen of chirography, that “it is written as badly as a telegraph despatch.” We hope the day is far distant when our messages shall be transmitted by boys with one or two days’ instruction.
We hardly need say that it is for our interest to adopt every improvement whereby the despatch of business within a given time can be materially increased. It is certainly cheaper for us to provide new instruments, at almost any cost which will ever be charged therefor, than to put up, keep in repair, and operate additional wires to produce the same results.
ERRONEOUS TABLE OF EUROPEAN STATISTICS.
We reproduce Mr. Hubbard’s statistical table for the purpose of pointing out some very serious errors contained in it.
| In U. S. Gold. | In U. S. Gold.[[21]] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Austrian florin | is rated by Mr. Hubbard at | $0.41 | True value | $0.48 |
| Franc | is rated by Mr. Hubbard at | .2 | True value | .19 |
| £ Sterling | is rated by Mr. Hubbard at | 4.84 | True value | 4.86 |
| Lira | is rated by Mr. Hubbard at | .186 10 | True value | .19 |
| Dollar of Norway | is rated by Mr. Hubbard at | .53 | True value | 1.09 |
| Rouble | is rated by Mr. Hubbard at | .213 7 | True value | .77½ |
| Dollar of Spain | is rated by Mr. Hubbard at | 1.00 | True value | 1.04½ |
[21]. We are indebted for the estimation of the value of these foreign coins in United States gold to E. B. Elliott, Esq., of Washington, D. C., who has recently prepared a valuable work on the subject.
These errors, in reducing foreign money into United States gold currency caused the following discrepancies in gross receipts for the year:—
| Value in United States Gold, according to Table. | True Value in United States Gold | Difference. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria, | $674,344 | $789,476.16 | $115,132.16 |
| England, | 2,481,500 | 2,491,756.02 | 10,256.02 |
| Italy, | 766,750 | 782,859.09 | 16,109.09 |
| Norway, | 182,131 | 374,573.15 | 192,442.15 |
| Russia, | 372,309 | 1,451,310.72 | 1,079,001.72 |
| Spain, | 554,475 | 576,654.00 | 22,179.00 |
| Discrepancy, | $1,435,120.14 | ||
| France, | 1,541,518 | 1,464,442.10 | 77,075.90 |
| Belgium, | 194,442 | 182,611.28 | 11,830.72 |
| Bavaria, | 136,894 | 132,383.26 | 4,510.74 |
| Discrepancy, | $93,417.36 | ||
Thus we find that in reproducing from their various currencies the gross telegraphic receipts of six nations into United States gold, Mr. Hubbard makes the amount $1,435,120.14 less than it should be, and in reducing those of three other countries into our coin he makes the amount $93,417.36 more than it should be.
He has also failed to give the receipts of the three great Submarine Telegraph Companies, which transact so important an amount of continental telegraph business.