Sixpenny Telegrams in British Guiana. 303 
were, in fact, very high in the infancy of the Service, 
the following being the tariff : — 
For twenty words from any one Station to any other 
Station throughout the colony, or any less number 
of words than twenty, exclusive of address of sender 
and receiver ... ... ... ... $ o 48 
For every 5 words, or portion of 5 words beyond 
twentywords o 12 
Porterage. — For each mile or portion of a mile, 
except in Georgetown and New Amsterdam, where 
messages will be delivered free within a radius of half 
a mile from the Telegraph Office. ... 012 
Such was the old two shillings rate : and, when it is 
remembered that the Panama Company and the Deme- 
rara Railway Company had to be paid, over and above 
the foregoing charges, for the transmission of messages 
upon their respective wires, so that a message from 
Georgetown to the Corentyne Coast, would cost at least 
four shillings, besides porterage, it will be recognized 
that quick communication was, at that period, regarded 
as a luxury, rather than as a necessary of every day life. 
In 1879 the question of reducing the tariff for 
messages was submitted to the Executive, and Mr. 
YOUNG, the Lieutenant Governor, who was then ruling 
the colony, brought the matter before the Legislature, 
with the result that the shilling rate took effect 
from the 1st September 1879. The reduction had 
been in operation but a very short time when Mr. 
BENSON, the Superintendent of the Government Tele- 
graph, proposed the introduction of the Sixpenny Rate. 
His proposal was submitted to the Executive, but was 
not adopted at that time. 
On Mr. YOUNG'S return to the colony in i88o ; from 
leave of absence, taken after he had administered the 
