The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-12
FIGHT OF THE TELEPHONES.
DIFFERING VIEWS OF THE BER-
LINER PATENT DECISION.

The Bell Company Claims a Complete
Knockout of All Rival Companies.
Manager Folks Notification From
the Bell PeOpIe-Manager Row
land of the Savannah Telephone
Company Says the Decision VIII
Have No Eject on His Enterprise.
The recent decision of the United States
supreme court upon the Berliner patent
of the Bell Telephone Company, unfolding
the claims of the latter company, is view
ed from two different standponts.
Manager r. H. Polk of the Southern
Bell Telephone Company, in Savannah,
holds that the decision knocks out the
rival telephone companies altogether, as
they are all making use. in one way or
another, of the carbon transmitter, the
essential feature of the Berliner patent.
Manager J. T. Rowland of the new Sa-
vannah Telephone Company, however,
holds the opposite opinion.
The effect of the decision upon the rival
telephone companies" said Mr.. Rowland
yesterday, will be very slight. The effect
Bell company in the rights which it al
ready enjoys, not to give it any new
rights. Had the decision of the supreme
court been against the Bell company the
effect would have been to knock it out
of the boat altogether and to throw open
to all the rival companies the use of the
Bell company's patent. The decision has
been foreseen and discounted for the last
six months"
There are doubtless some of the rival
companies" continued Mr.. Rowland,
which infringe upon the Bell patents.
That this is not the case with the lead4
ers OF the opposition to the Bell company
is easily illustrated. 1t has not been so
long since that Secretary Hoke Smith of
the interior department ordered bids adj
Vertised for for equipping the department
with a telephone service. Several bids
were received. among them one from the
western Telephone Construction Com
pany of Chicago, of which Mr.. Keeling,
who was recently in Savannah is presi-
dent committee of telephone experts
selected from the patent office was APP
pointed to pass upon the bids. The COM
mittee reported in favor of accepting the
bid of the Western Construction Com
pany, one of the considerations specifical-
ly stated in the report being that ii did
not infringe upon any other patent. The
bid was accepted and the interior depart
ment at Washington Is now equipped with
the Chicago company's plant. The rival
companies will continue to compete with
the Bell as they have done for the last
several years. There is probably more
capital invested i'm companies in opposi-
ton of the Bell than is invested i'm the
Bell company itself, and if 1t were posi-
BILE for the decision to be interpreted to
mean that they We're all existing in vio-
lation of the Bell patents, millions of dol
~ nj al ha
istence."
Manager Polk of the Bell Telephone Elk
change has been notified by his company
that the supreme court decision gives it
practically the entire control of the art
of telephony. The Berliner patent, Mr.
POLK said, covers all transmitters using
variable contact. 1t covers the prin-
cipal of the use of carbon in transmit
tiers, which includes every commercial tel
ephone In operation. The patent does not
cover the hand phone but only the trans
mitter. There is nothing to prevent the
use of the hand phone as a transmitter,
but the use In that way is so unsatisfac-
tory that it viii never become general.
Mr.. Polk received a telegram yesterday
from the Bell company that the decision
OF the supreme court is a practical knock
out Tor all opposition. The only thing for
companies operating with instruments
covered by the Berliner patent to do. he
salu, Is 10 ABANDON their use. The proba-
BILE course of procedure, Mr. Polk said.
Will be to close up the opposition lines by
injunction, and then enter suit against the
manufacturers of transmitters covered bv
the Berliner patent for Infringement
There are estimated to be between O0
and 5000 telephones in the south In or
position to the Bell company The great
est strongholds are Richmond, Norfolk
and Lynchburg, Va. There are about 300
opposition telephones in Augusta. Man
ager Polk said. The Valdosta exchange
has considerable territory. covered by
Its lines, and in Jacksonville there are
several hundred opposition telephones.
There is no question, Manager Polk
said; about the decision of the supreme
court giving the Bell company the entire
control of the telephone business in the
country. The company has been waiting
long time for the decision. 1t could not
proceed against infringers upon it's pat
ents until the case was decided. Ii will
now take action without delay. The man
ufacturers of telephones for companies
In opposition to the Bell, he said. have
been getting all the contracts they could
get, under guarantees to the companies
erecting lines, that they will be protected
against any action by the Bell Telephone
Company. I'VE will now see what the
guarantees amount to-" said Mr.. PoSk.