The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-09-13
FOREIGN NEWS GATHERING
Four Great Agencies Formally Cover the
Happenings Of the World.

Happenings Of the World.
Annually the members gather in gen.
eral convention in New York and elect
a board Of directors of fifteen men,
bers. By common consent the MEM
bers Of this board are chosen from
different parts of the country, so that
each important division is represent
ed. They are trained newspaper men.
who bring to the discharge of their du-
ties an intimate knowledge Of the busi-
ness and a high sense of responsible
ity. The board Of directors in turn
elect president, two vice-presldents.
a secretary and general manager, an
assistant secretary and assistant gen.
eral manager and q treasurer, and
designate from their own number five
members to serve as an executive COM
mittee.
The world at large is divided. for the
purpose of news-gathering. among four
great agencies. The Reuter- Telegraph
Company. Ltd, of London. gathers and
distributes news in Great Britain and
all her colonies, China. Japan and
Egypt. The Continental Telegraphen
Compagnie. Of Berlin, popularly
known as. the Wolf Agency. performs
like Office in the Teutonic, Slav and
Scandinavian countries; and the
Agence Havas, Of Paris. operates in
the Latin nations. The field Of the AS
sociated Press includes the United
States, the Hawaiian Islands, the Phil
ippines and Central America, as well
as the islands of the Caribbean Sea.
Each of these agencies has a represen-
tatiye in the offices Of the others. Thus
the Associated Press bureau in Lon
don adjoins the Reuter- offices. The
telegrams to the Reuter- company are
written on manifold sheets by the tele-
graph and cable companies, and copies
are served. simultaneously to the Asso-
ciated Press bureau. the Wolf repre-
sentative, the Havas men and the Reu-
ter people. A like arrangement OBJ
tains in Paris, Berlin and New YORK,
so that in each Of these cities the whole
panorama of the days happenings
passes under the eyes Of representa-
tives of each of the four agencies. ...
But the scheme is much more elabor-
ate than even this arrangement WOULD
indicate. Operating as tributary to
the great agencies are q host OF minor
agencies-virtually one, such smaller
agency for each Of the nations OF i'm
portance. Thus in Italy the Sefani
Agency, with headquarters IN Rome,
gathers and distributes the news Oh
Italy. It is the official agency. and to
it the authorities give exclusively all.
governmental information. 1t is con-
rolled by Italians, but large minor
ity of its shares are owned by. the
Agence Hayas, Of Paris, and it oper-
ates in close alliance with the latter
organization.
Thus. if q fire should break out in
Milan, the Secolo, the leading neWspa-
per of that city, would instantly tele-
graph a report of it to the Stefam
Agency at Rome. Thence 1t would be
telegraphed to all Of the other itaiian
papers, and copies of the Secolo's mes
sage would also be handed to the rep
resentatives, in the Stefani headquar-
ters. of the Reuter-, Wolf, Havas and
the Associated Press agencies
In like fashion, If the fire should nap
pen in Chicago, the Associated Press
would receive it's report, transmit 1t TO
the American papers, and furnish cop
les to the representatives of the for
eign%agencies stationed in the New
York office Of the Associated Press.
Of the minor agencies the most I'M
portant are the Fabri':Agency, OF Ma
drid; the Norsky Agency. of Christia-
MIA; the Swiss Agency, OF Berne; tne
Svensky Agency, of Stockholm; the
Correspondent Bureau. Of Vienna; the
Commercial Agency, Of st. Petersburg,
and the Agence Balcanique, OF Soma.
But the Associated Press Is not con-
tent to depend wholly upon these OH
cial agencies. 1t maintains It's own
bureaus in all the important capitats,
and reports the more prominent events
by Its own men. who are Americans
and familiar with american newspaper
methods. These foreign representa-
tiyes are drawn from the ablest men
in the service, and the Offices they MI
are obviously of great responsibility.
They must be qualified by long Ua,n-
ing in the journalistic profession oS'
familiarity with a number OF IAN
suages, and by presence anu Deafins
which will enable them to mingle Win
men of the highest station in the coun-
tries to which they are accredited
Trom Melville E, Stones "The Asso-
ciated Press,"in the Centary.
Motor Car Sneak Thieves.
The increasing number OF ropperles
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