The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-17
CABLE CODE VOCABULARY.
Decision of the Budapest COnven-
ton Not TO Require Its Use.

From the New York Tribune.
Those having occasion to use the ca
Bile. and especially business men. who EN-
ploy code Of words to represent whole
sentences, thereby economizng in cable
tolls are interested in the present decis-
ion of the International Telegraph conven-
ton in session at Budapest. Last week
the body took up the question of COM
pulsory use of the Official vocabulary for
code messages. The resolutions OF the
New York Chamber of Commerce and
other bodies opposed to the vocabulary
were presented by the representatives Of
the Commercial Gable Company. and the
convention decided that the vocabulary
should not be made compulsory. and that
all future action should be indefinitely
postponed.
Regarding the character and purposes
of the international telegraph convention,
Mr.. Clapperton of the Commercial Gable
Company said recently to a reporter that
the organization is a permanent body Of
government representatives abroad, which
met originally at ST. Petersburg In 1875 70
consider and agree upon rules and regula-
tfons for the interchange OF Geographic
correspondence between states. and for
collecting and apportioning the charges
thereon in proportion to the amount of
work performed by each state, and to
establish a central Office, called the inter-
national telegraph bureau, to collect ar
range and publish Information OF all
kinds relating to international telegraphy.
As all foreign telegraph business of this
country goes through England, the Euro
pean terminus Of Transatlantic cables,
and as England is a member of the tee-
graph congress, the interests of this coun-
try are involved in the deliberations of
that body, although the United States is
not represented IN that convention.
Since the meeting in st. Petersburg in
1873, the convention has been held IN Lon
don, Berlin and Paris. The meeting at
Paris in 1880 took the initiative in regard to
establishing an office vocabulary OF words
10 he used in the transmission of all code
messages. This action was not intended
to operate as a barrier to the selection by
various senders of different codes on the
contrary, all the latitude desirable was to
be permitted. The sole object in estab-
fishing one vocabulary was to limit code
messages to the use of only one class of
words The words of this vocabulary could
be used TO represent whatever sentences
and phrases each individual desired, so
that, while only one vocabulary would
thereby be employed it could represent
any number Of codes, nsuring such Sc
crecy, economy and other advantages as
the various senders desired
In view of the difficulty experienced in
regulating the use of code or preconcert-
ed language, and the increasing tendency
tions of letters and to evade restrictions.
the convention at Paris decided to instruct
the international office, which had been
established a Berne Switzerland, to pre-
pare and publish a vocabulary of author
lied code words which should come into
use three years after the date of publica-
ton, and be the sole authority on the le-
git.macy Of code words.
The vocabulary has now been published.
1t contains 100000 words of not more than
ten letters. IN order to present this array
of a quarter Of a million OF words to COW
er the multitudinous variety of CONNER
cial terms and figures, and yet TO make
each word as short as possible for the
convenience Of the cable operations a vast
quantity Of words were coined, meaning
less in them selves but representing what
ever phrases each code assigned to them.
The first words in the vocabulary, for eX-
ample, are aabam, aaboras, aachenese, IA
ella, aadur, aalde, etc.
The convention recognizes two classes
Of telegraphic correspondence-that which
passed between states within the limits
of Europe, and that which passes be-
tween Europe, Asia, America, Africa and
Australia direct, or by way of Europe
1t was proposed by the action of the Paris
convention that after Jan. l. 1898 Euro
which could not be found In the Vocabu-
larry would not be accepted for transmits
sion! This was 10 include all messages
tranmitted by the Atlantic cables.
The convention adjourned to meet at
Budapest this year, when the decision
was arrived at TO indefinitely postpone
the subject.
The Atlantic cable companies were
deeply interested in the outcome of the
discussion, so they cannot ignore the in
ternational telegraph convention, for the
reason that the governments on the other
side own the telegraphs and signatories
to the convention. and the permission to
land cables on European soil carries with
it obligations to observe the governments
rules and regula lions for the conduct of
telegraph business.
The Atlantic cable companies, not be-
ing members of the convention, have lit
tie or nothing to say about the rules for
counting and charging messages. The in
ternational convention settles il all. The
cable companies have no alternative, ex-
cept to apply the regulations as they
find them. The cable companies can say
what the rates for each word shall be
over their own lines, but the convention
defines what a word Is.
The opposition of the New York Cham
Der of Commerce to the proposed Official
voca bulary was made clear to the Buda-
pest convention when its decision to table
the proposition was made. The chamber
of commerce had made the subject one of
special consideration at its meeting on
Feb. last. The chamber decided that
owing to the official vocabulary being lin
adequate for commercial business and be-
cause Of it's faulty construction, every
possible influence should be brought TO