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296 METHODS OF SOCIAL REFORM.
superior officers for each of four companiea, whereas one such
staff would suffice under a united management.” Similar
statements were made in various stages of his examination
before the Select Committee (Q. 2152, etc.), and wo were even
told that, in the higher grade of clerks, the rates of salary
under tho Post Office mould be lower than in the companies
(QQ. 3296-3298). Compare such statements with those in
p. 8 of the Treasury Commissioners’ Report, where we are
informed, ‘‘ That the salaries of all the officials of the telegraph
companies mere very largelj- raised after their entry int,o the
Government Bervice,” and that, in fact, “much higher rates
arc paid by Govcmrncnt for the subordinate work of the Civil
Scrvice than are given by private employers for similar
duties.” Nor dotas the nmalgarnntion seem to hnvc effected
any economy at all; for we :Ire told, on the same authority,
‘I That the staff at present employed for the supervision of
the Consolidat,ed Service in tho secretary’s office, the engineerin-chiaf’s
office, tho divisional engineer’s offices, and the
account branch is comparatively greatly in excess of that
considered necessary under the divided management of the
telegraph companies.” In regard to the account branch, I
mny point to Mr. Scudamore’s assertion ((2. 2438), that t.he
proviously existing staff of the Post Oflice could, with a
trifling tdditionnl expense of g1,OOO n year or so, undertake
all the uccounts of t,he telegraphs. After calculating that the
cornpanios must spend at lenst k12,OOO n year on accounts, he
says : I mill undertake to say, wit,hout the slightest fear, that
tho accounts will nut cost us $1,000 in addition to what we
drcndy spend for accounts.” Again, he saJs emphatically :
‘r Ll,OOO, I am confideut, is au extremely liberal est,imate for
that.” Nom we are told on the best authority that the st,&
of the account branch of the telegraph department is in excess
comparatively of that of the aggregate of the old companies,
that is, I presume, in excess co-ntpamtinely to the traffic
conducted.
It ought not to be forgotten that throughout the preliminary
reports and the proceedings before the Select
Committee, it was distinctly stated and promised that the