New-York tribune., 1909-11-17

own distinctive we'll defined fields
The telegraph service is analogous 20
the mail service in that II Is the colec-
ton. transmission or transportation and
delivery Of correspondence, the dtfIerence
being that the ma lis transport the actual
communications, while the telegram
transmits the contents Of the cou1muni-
cation from Office OF origin 10 ONCE or
destination. From the collection 70 the
delivery OF the correspondence the en-
tire work is done by the staff OF the tel
egraph company
FUNCTION OF TELEPHONE
The telephone. on the other hand. en-
ables parties too distant from each other
for ordinary conversation 70 engage N
personal communication with each other
by placing al their disposition for time
a telephone circuit
While there is a common feature IN
The use Of wires strung on poles or IN
ca bles. the similarity ends there, the
circuits and methods used for the tele-
graph and the Telephone are entirely dis
tinCt and different. and each business
requires its special equipment operating
force and general business organization
II seems not only 10 be good poIlcy our
= DUTY 20 increase the service and ad-
vanta ges 70 the public BY utilizing pres
ent unuuhzed possibilities, and az the
same time benefit property and increase
revenue.
II is believed that the acquisition ot
control OF the Western Union by the
telephone company Will be followed in
the near future BY change in the man
agement Of the former concern. and II -
understood also that the property will
be thoroughly rehabilitatsd The Off
GERS of the Western Union Telegraph
Company are Robert c. Clowry. prest-
dent and general manager. Thomas ?
Clark. George ]. Gould, J. 3 Van Every
anC George ". Atkins. vtce-presidents
J. 9. Wtllever. secretary. and A r
Brewer. treasurer. Although the com
pany has always been known as a Gould
property and the GouIds have been dom
inant in its affairs. the membership OF
the board is widely diversified Among
the directors are John 7. Terry. Jacob
H. Schif. J. Pierpont Morgan. William
L Bull. Joseph J. SlOcum. Charles
Lanier. Chauncey NJ. Depew. Henry NJ
F1agler. John Jacob Astor. Oliver An1es
Q Sidney Shepard. John B. Van Every
James Stilluan. Thomas r Clark. John
]. Mitchell. Henry a. Bishop. Harris G.
Fahnestock and Thomas H. Hubbard.
NOT To GUARANTEE DIVIDENDS
In the reports that have been cJ1rreur
in Wall Street OF the coming merger OF
the two companies IL has been said that
the telephone company would guarantee
the dividends on the Western Unions
stock. II was said authoritativeIy yes
teTday however, that the plans Of the
controlling interests did not involve anv
guarantee Of dividends OF any sort on
Western Union stock. Western Union
is now paying at the rate of 3 Der cenr
year. II formerly paid per cent A
year. but after the panic was forced 70
reduce the rate 10 . per cent. anu for
time il paid its stockholders in treasury
stock. This year the rate was increased
TO per cent.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany was organized In 1856 under the
laws or New York The American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company was or
ganized in 1885. also under the laws OF
this state. TO build and operate the
American Bell Telephone COmpany's long
distance system The stockholders Of
the Bell company IN 1900 turned over 20
the American company all the former
cumpany's property and assets. including
the stock it owned n operating telephone
companies Recently the American Tel
ephone and Telegrap has been consoli-
o9tiug all the telephone companies con-
trolled by il in this state. with a view
~ bringing them all under one manage
nent and thus greatly reduce the cost
of operating
WIRE MILEAGE 12.50oOo"
The combined wire mileage OF the
Western Union and American Telephone
and Telegraph companies is about r.
10000. of which 11.20aOn0 miles are
controlled by the Telephone company.
The joint earnings Of the two COM
panies amount 70 approximately S160.-
100000 a year.
In its report Of earnings for the ten
months ended October n the American
TeIepboue Nd Telegraph Company
shows net earnings ~ S2S.64s.6s4. ar
increase Of So S26. 1876 over the corre-
sponding period a year ago. The total
earnings for the ten months were ST
20 s. as against S2f.5A4. 5'2 for the
same time IN 1905 and the balance
after the payment n dividends and in
terest was S7.6S6,4l4-
The Western Union company recently
u-ou Us suit against the American Tele-
nbone and Telegraph Company. which
had been pending in the courts for t7Ven-
tv-dve wears The suit was based on a
contract made IN 1879 providing that the
Western Union was 70 retire from the
teI-phone business. for which ~ was 20
receive ROYALTY or bonus Of 90 per cent
On All telephones used under license from
the BELL company for seventeen years
The amount originally sought by the
Western Union was between s100O0.0 900
and 81 o ooa. 600 but large reductions were
made in the amounts % he allowed under
the claim. and Everett W Burdett the
master appointed in the case. ia his re-