The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-30

sary to raise prices or to call for voluntary
contributions from our clients.
1--WE have gone into the telegraphic as
pect of the situation in the West at some
length because the conditions that have
held US back in that section for nearly two
years are now obliterated. Within the last
three weeks our contract obligations to the
Coastal Company have been terminated.
This left US free to shift all our business at
once to the Western Union system, to make
up circuits in the West ana to extend our
business into that field. In short, it placed
US for the first time on an equal footing
with the Chicago Associated Press in their
own territory. Arrangements were made
at once for a leased-wire service to the
Pacific Coast. This new circuit went into
operation on the night of June 49, and
three of the principal Chicago Associated
Press papers on the coast dropped the
service and made contracts with US. 1t is
no secret that number of other Pacific
Coast papers are preparing to make the
same move as soon as the necessary ar
rangements can be completed.
1t is worth notice, in passing, that when
this most important and significant move
was made by The United Press bulletins
were sent out all over the country by the
Chicago Associated Press to the effect that
The United Press had given up 1000 miles
of wire to the Postal system. No mention
was made of the substitution for it of 1000
miles of wire on the Western Union, and it
was attempted to produce the impression
that The United Press had taken a step
backward instead of two steps forward
you have seen the almost instantane-
Gus effect of this opening up of the West
to our service. In addition to the three
California papers, the Council Bluffs Nom
pareil came over to us in very brief time
after we were rid of the clogging engage
ments to the Postal Telegraph Company.
Within the next few weeks you will see
other Western papers following suit. The
superiority of The United Press service,
with the great news facilities created by
the big New York dailies to draw from, is
recognized and admitted even by the
Chicago Associated Press papers, and they
are not slow to avail themselves whenever
it can be offered without loss on an equal
footing with the Chicago Association"
"What would you say of the claim ad-
vanced by the other association that the
smaller papers are better protected under
its plan of organization than under yours ?"
THAT is contention that will not hold
water. They make much of the fact that
papers dealing with the association can
become members and have a voice in the
management, and characterize The United
Press as a close corporation. That is all
humbug. Any client of ours who is served
direct by Us can become member of The
United Press and stakeholder in it.
''The transfer of sufficient amount of
stock for this purpose can always be ar
ranged at headquarters. The small papers
can thus gain voice in the management
of The United Press, and they can do it at
a nominal cost. 1t costs $500 for any paper
to become a stakeholder in the Chicago
Associated Press. In The United Press it
costs much less. You can see upon analy-
sis that the advantage to small papers is
on our side rather than on theirs. l spoke
of this privilege as limited to papers
served directly by US. The interests of the
papers served through the New England
Associated Press, the New York State
Press or the Southern Associated Press
lie, of course, with those organizations,
and they would be inclined to identify
themselves with them rather than with
The United Press itself. By becoming
members of these associations they have
voice in the business management and in
the news supply of the associations with
which they have TO do, and in addition
they are reported in the management of
The United Press through the presidents
of the three associations named, who are
directors of The United Press
II understand that there has been some
talk of reviying the Western Associated
Press and allying it with The United Press,
the New York State Associated Press, the
New England Associated and the Southern
Associated Press. How would that affect
the status of your clients on the Pacific
Coast2 Would that territory be turned
over to the Western Associated PressT'
Certainly not. That section has always
been served direct blythe United Press and
the New York Associated Press, both be-
fore and since their consolidation. 1t will
continue to be served direct by The United
Press unless the Pacific Coast papers them
selves should form an association. In that
case we would serve them collectively if
they desired, just as we do the allied asso-
Citations in the south and east. We intend
to serve the Pacific Coast papers either in
dividually or in body as they prefer.
But in no case would they be turned over
to anybody