OCR Text |
Show Investigation ol the Telesrapii Monopoly. Washington, 20. The Bub committee commit-tee of the house committee on the judiciary ju-diciary began to-day the inquiry authorized au-thorized by a resolution introduced in the house by Dawes to ascertain if the ( Western Union declined to send a , message of the American Press association asso-ciation on the ground of criticism of I tho Western Union company. Orton, 1 president of tho Western Union, was j examined. It appeared from his testimony tes-timony that no two press contracts of the company are alike, different rates being charged for different classes of service. The company could afford lx charge less to those who did a large regular business over its wires than 10 parties who sent small quantities only on the principle that a railroad company com-pany could aflord to charge cheaper freights to wholesale dealers than to occasional customers, who sent but little. Orton was asked whether wealthy papers had no greater facilities facili-ties than those of limited means and whether the first class of papers could not obtain their dispatches cheaper than those of less prominence. He thought they could, because of the larger surface covered in arrangement. arrange-ment. Tho reason the Western Union could not make a contract with the American Press association was that by taking off a part of the business of its best customers and ' serving that association for less, a : heavy loss to the company would have been occasioned. He wa asked 1 whether in the case of a paper not m 1 the Western Associated press arrange-: arrange-: ment, there would be a difference in " telegraph charges to that paper sending send-ing ten thousand wordw aud the 1 charges to the Associated Press send-: send-: ing exactly the same matter. Orton 1 replied there would, as the business 3 with a singlo paper would be but a 0 single traneaction independent of any , previous contract. |