XXX.I LIGHTENING HIS BURDENS 111 



but practically all the telegraphic advances which have 

 been made since the passage of the Telegraph Act have 

 originated from American genius." 



A monopoly is not less a monopoly because it is in 

 the hands of Government, and I cannot conclude this 

 letter (for the length of which I must apologise) better 

 than in the words of the same high authority, " The sole 

 object I have in view in writing is to bring home to the 

 British public, if I can, the evil consequences of the 

 un-English retrograde policy of converting applied 

 science into a Government trading monopoly." It is 

 not necessary in this case, because if the service of the 

 National Telephone Company is anywhere really in- 

 efficient, there is nothing to prevent other companies 

 from being formed like the Mutual of Manchester. We 

 have thus at present the possibilities of free trade and 

 competition, and of these advantages Mr. Hanbury's 

 Bill would deprive us. For the above and other reasons 

 his Bill would, I believe, if passed, involve us in an 

 immense pecuniary loss, and be a serious check to the 

 progress of applied science. — I am, Sir, your obedient 

 servant, John Lubbock. 



Many of the various points which the above 

 letter raises are of almost as much interest to-day 

 as when it was written. Mr. A. J. Balfour wrote 

 privately to Sir John : 



10 Downing Street, 

 April 12, 1899. 



My dear Lubbock — One line to say that I have read 

 with great interest your powerful article in the Times. 

 There is, of course, an immense deal to be said on the 

 other side and in favour of our proposals : but you have 

 omitted— perhaps wisely — one argument against those 

 proposals which has always weighed greatly with me, 

 namely, that any increase in the Government responsi- 

 bilities of this character, such as would be produced 

 by the Bill, is almost necessarily accompanied by an 

 increase in the number of Government employes, already 

 in the case of the Post Office and the Dockyards more 

 in number than is good for the community. — Yours very 

 sincerely, Arthur James Balfour. 



A letter of about the same date bears evidence 



