The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-26
THETELEPHONE MONOPOLY.

WASHINGTON, April 95.--In March, 1893,
the rights to the telephone patented by
Bell on March z, 1870, will no longer be-
long to tho American Bell Telephone COM
pany, which now controls them. As the
time approaches statements are being
made that the Bell company has SO man
aged that Il will be able to control the
telephone for seventeen more years after
1893 or until 1910. These statements are
based upon report made three years ago
by the Ainsworth Investigating committee
in New York city, in which it was said
that the Bell company had obtained the
right To two interfering inventions, that
of Emile Berliner and that Of Thomas A.
Edison, of the microphone. which 1t is
claimed Is essential to the commercial use
of the telephone
Berliner filed his claim April Il, 1877.
and Edison his on July 20, OF the same
year. The microphone fs the instrument
used IN the receiver attached to the rele-
phone, and is based on the transmission of
language by the opening and closing of
the circuit. Even without the microphone
language may be received through the
transmluter OF the telephone, though
nothing as far as has been made public.
has been invented whereby the receiver
may be used for commercial purposes
as a transmitter also.
1t Is conceded at the patent Office that
no patents have been given upon the gem
eral invention OF the microphone, which
both Berliner and Edison claimed origin
ally, but patents have been granted upon
number of specific additions to the gen
eral idea. These additional patents have
been purchased by the American Bell
Telephone company, to which also have
been assigned the rights of Berliner and
Edison in their inventions. No informa-
Iion was forthcoming as TO whether the
Bell company had influenced the perpetual
ton of an interference" between the two
ideas of Berliuer and Edison in order that
by controlling them the company might
secure Just before the expiration of the
telephone patent rights decision in favor
of one microphone patent or another. so
that owning the right to this ii might
perpetuate its practical control of the
telepone monopoly for another period of
seventeen years.
IL was intimated, however, that owning
the rights to both ideas, whether they in
terfered or not, the American Bell COM
pany might obtain the same result any
bow by patenting both if they were dis
similar. or either they preferred If they
were the same, unless another method of
transmitting language than that OF Bell
be discovered by some one else when the
two would continue side by side. More
than one inquiry has bsen made at the pat
ent Office, aud it is not at all improbable
that particular Investigation of the mat
ter will be made
In connection with this subject some in
teresting facts were made public at the re-
cent annual meeting of the American Bell
Telephone company. Reports then made
showed that the total number of instru-
meuts rented by the company was 4SS, 190
the average use of which was last year
three times daily. The number OF miles
of wire had increased from 1913. .2l3 in 1889
10 240, 4l2 in 1890 and of this increase of
47.l99 miles 27,579 miles were in under
ground. The earnings during the year
were &, ,375, 200, Of which S2,2l3.9l3 were
distributed in regular or extra dividends.
$4,000 were placed TO the credit of