TELEGRAPHY AT HOME AND ABROAD.

Kumara Times, Issue 569, 24 July 1878, Page 2

TELEGRAPHY AT HOME AND ABROAD.

The International Telegraph Office at Berne has just completed the publication of the statistics which it has been able to collect from the Government Telegraph Departments of Europe and Asia as to the means at their disposal and the work, performed by them* These statistics (which apply to the year 1876) have been judiciously sup plemented by particulars as to the operations of the Western Union Tele l graph Company of America, thus enabling us to contrast the results obtained by State management of the telegraphs in the Old World with those obtained by private enterprise in the New World.

The statistics given as to the length of the lines constructed and worked by the various administrations show that among the State Telegraph ments Russia is pre-eminent, having a total of 56,000 miles of line, of which 9.000 miles aie in Asia. France ranks next with 34,000 miles of line, while Germany (including Bavaria and Wiirtemberg) has 30,000 miles, AustriaHungary 29,000 miles, England 25,000 miles, India 17,670 miles, and Italy 14,000. The proportion of miles of wire to miles of line varies very greatly in different countries. While the Russian telegraph lines carry, on the average, only two wires, the lines in this country carry, on the average, four and a half wires. The result of this difference is shown in the statistics of miles of wire, where England heads all other States with a total of 113,000 miles. Russia and Germany rank next with 112,000 miles each, France has 90.000 miles, Austria-Hungary 84,000 miles, Italy 49,000 miles, and India 30.000 miles. The Government Telegraph Departments, however, are all eclipsed iu length both of line and of wire l>y the Western Union Telegraph Compilin', which lias 77,000 miles of lb e and 190,000 miles ol wire. As regards extent of business, England ranks first with 19 millions of paid internal messages } while Germany* which ranks next among the Government administrations, has only millions, France 7£ millions,- AustriaHungary 51- millions, Italy millions, Russia 3} millions, Switzerland 2 millions, Belgium 2 millions, Holland

Vnillion, Spain 1 m'd'ion, an ! India (nearly) 1 million. The mini her of paid messages transmitted by the Western Union Company is not stated, hot the figures given suffice to show that the company’s business is largely in excess of that of any Continental Slate, although somewhat less than that of this country.

In the matter of gross revenue (he Western Union Telegraph Company again heads the INt, willi an income of very nearly £2,000.000 Kn gland comes next with £1,313,000, "Russia has £918,000, France £078.000, Germany £632,000, Austria Hungary £IIO,OOO, Italy £300,000, India £202,000, and Spain £IIB,OOO. None of ilm other countries which has furnished returns has a larger revenue than £IOO,OOO from telegrams.