TELEGRAPHS AND TELEPHONES. 785 



the extent of the reduction in revenue to be sus. The following are the statistics of the 

 effected. Mr. Kelley, m explaining the action telegraph companies 

 of the conference committee in the House, esti- 

 mated the total reduction at $65,000,000 to From messages 

 $70,000,000, of which $35,000,000 to $40,000,- rom other source's .'.'.'.'.'.'.'.' .'.'.'.'.'.".'.'.'. '.'.'.'. !'.!!!! a^JS? 



000 would be taken from the internal revenue. Net 



All internal revenue taxes were repealed ex- 

 cept those affecting whiskey, beer, tobacco, and Salaries .4836 m 



bank circulation, and those on tobacco were Gene rai expenses !'.'.'. '.'.'.'. '.'."'. !!"/. 2sod'i5s 



materially reduced. Those entirely abolished 5&Y expenses 



were the taxes on bank capital and ch ecks, and Total '.'.'.'. I '.'.'.".".'.I'.'.!' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' ." " .' .' 10,218,281 



on matches, patent medicines, and perfumery. CHARGES AND OTHER ITEMS. 



Those on tobacco were reduced one half, viz., Interest paid on debt * 5C 4 341 



from sixteen to eight cents per pound, a pro- sinking-fluid appropriation ! " " 1 1 " ! " " ." I " " ! 40^000 



portionate reduction being made in the case of Netincome" B S2J'i 



cigars and cigarettes. Of the final changes in Dividends teetered! I!!"!!.'!.*!.".!.'!! !.T. !*.'!.'.'."! 4,i36j49 

 the rates of duty the following may be men- BALANCE FOR THE TEAR. 



tioned as most important: Those on common f" 1 !? 1 . 118 $1,882.971 



earthenware increased from 50 to 55 per cent 



ad valorem ; but it was claimed that this was ^ w ASSETS * 



offset by excluding packing and transportation Cash ! e .\'.\'.\'.\::.\\':.\^.\\\\'.'.':'' ^'SsnS 



charges. Painted and gilded earthenware was ? ills receivable I"".".".!"."!! 'i79, n 269 



transferred to the class of china and porcelain, iSS^S* 1 ** 



and made to pay 60 per cent. The rate on iron- 

 ore was increased to 75 cents per ton, the com- r _ r , tnl Btor>v LIABILITIES. 



pound duty under the old law amounting to 57 ^^^:.\\v;:.\\\\\,v.v.v.;:..;;;.:v:.:v. $ SSI 



cents, and that recommended by the commis- other debt il20i',67i 



sion being 50 cents. The old rate on steel rails ^fiSlfcv.V.V." ^ .'.V.'.! ! ! 5?SSS 

 was $28 per ton ; it was fixed by the confer- 

 ence committee at $17. There was a moder- Alf . . .. . 

 ate reduction on pig and bar iron. In the large Au *^$aS!^;... 96 8,62i 



and important schedules of cotton and woolen Amount $75,907^250 



materials and goods there were many changes, l8 NumbTrof S shaves. . . 889 148 



but the reduction m rates was comparatively Amount $66,529',200 



small, and in some cases they were increased. MESSAGES TRANSMITTED.! 



Mr. Kelley, in his explanation, stated that cot- Number for the press 8,154,898 



ton goods, which previously paid 35 per Cent Number for other persons 28,548,788 



ad valorem (such as stockings, hose, shirts, and 8i,703,isi 



drawers), would have to pay 40 per cent; and DESCRIPTION OF LINES. 



while there was a reduction of about 18 per Total length of lines miles 110,726 



cent on wool (the raw material), the duties on R^^'J^'^^: IJg? 



all-wool fabrics was increased from 6 and 8 Principal terminus stations 205 



cents a yard and 35 and 40 per cent ad valorem, Number of P les set durm e the y ear 243 ' 848 



to 9 cents a yard and 40 per cent ad valorem. AVERAGE NUMBER OF PERSONS EMPLOYED. 



Jute-butts were taken from the free list and General officers 172 



subjected to a duty of $5 a ton. The duty of g'erltt? 106 " 0161 * 8 9 661 



25 per cent on printed books was retained. In Messengers'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.".'.".!!!'.'.".'.;.".! 2^469 



the SUgar schedule there Was reduction in the Line-repairers and other employe's 



grades below number 13, Dutch standard, to ' M|W8 



2f cents a pound, amounting to about 15 per The census report on the telephone system 



cent of the old rates. On the higher grades of the United States gives returns of 148 com- 



the reduction was about 28 per cent. panics and private concerns, which had 34,305 



There was ample evidence that the result miles of wire, 54,319 receiving telephones, and 



was satisfactory to no considerable class of 3,338 employes, 



citizens, and that the work of revising the ' 



tariff was not regarded as by any means com- p^a**3R5^ 



plete. The reduction in revenue was very ments, but the assets, liabilities, etc., of such companies, be- 



moderate, that in the burden of taxation still Sab^fs^stk? 61 ' railroad accounts ' are not inclnded ta 



less, while the complications and uncertainties t Twenty-seven of the seventy-seven companies make no 



of the tariff were hardly diminished. The new Jgg* the ^fgSJS^fKl^Tt 



law was to take effect July 1, 1883. operation, two make no report, the Baltimore and Ohio is 



TELEGRAPHS AND TELEPHONES. Sta- operated by the railroad company, and the Gold and Stock 



tisticsof the telegraph and telephone compa- ^^S^^^ STS^SS^ 



mes Of the United States Were Collected by the ceipts from messages, have kept no record of the number of 



national fi-nvprnmAnt-fnr tliA fii-at timA in 1 RRO messages sent. The receipts from these companies are only 



U b-OVernment tor tne first time in IbSO, a ]ittle g more than 2 per cent of the total receipts from mes- 



and are given m the reports of the tenth cen- 

 VOL. xxn. 50 A 



