Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-11-17
COMPLETE CONTROL OF
WIRE COMMUNICATION
Report Says New Million Dollar Cor
poration VIII be Formed-AccuisI-
ton Of Stock Has Been in Progress
Quietly Six Months-EconomicsI
Step, Says officers.
fRx Associated pressr 4.


stride toward The complete control
hv one corporation of all wire COM
munication IN the United States was
made today in the acquisition by the
American Telephone a. Telegraph
Company of the control Ct the nest
ern Union Telegraph Company.
In order to make the absorption
complete the incorporation of new
billion dollar company. IL Is said, viii
be necessary TO include the $592.475.-
400 OF bonds and stock of the Ameri-
can Telephone Company known as The
Bell Company. and the outstanding
$le5. 900 900 of bonds and stock or
the Western Union
The acquisition of the necessary
stock and voting rights of the West
ern Union nv the Bell Company has
been In progress for about six mouths.
The work has been conducted quiet
~ and only sufficient amount to In
sure control. said To be 81 per cent
was taken over.
Step One Of Economy.
The officers OF the Bell Company
regard the step as one OF economy
solely. They point out that ever
since the telephone has been a factor
In human life, il has had TO compete
with the telegraph. Lines have been
paralleled and there has been an i'm
mense amount Of duplication. Inc
officers of the telephone company be-
lieye that the merger will save the
Bell Company 100000 900 in new ecu-
structicn. while it will also enable
the utilization at the same time or
wires for both teIegraphing and teie-
phoning.
The hietory of the Western Union
dates back to before the Civil war.
but the Bell Company is Of compara-
lively recent origin. Both companies
pursued the usual method OF absorb
ing smaller companies. The small
companies acquired by the Western
Union have been lest in oblivion. Some
of the associated corporations en-
gagged in the telephone business. the
mAiority of whose stock rests In the
treasury of the parent concern are:
New York Telephone Company. $780,
600 900: New England Telephone 4
Telegraph Company. sSl.le0.o0e; Bell
Telephone. OF Pennsylvania, 81 $780,
600: New York. & New Jersey Teie-
phone Company. s25.40o. GEO: Southern
Bell Telephone Company. s2l.4co.ooo;
Cum erlsnd Telephone &. Telegraph
Company. sls.ooO.Goo: Chicago TeIe-
phone Company. sI7.500.O00: Western
Telephone & Telegraph Company.
SIC. coo. O0o: Bell Telephone Company.
Of Canada, si2 100000.
Billions Of Messages.
The telephone system annually
transmits 5.956.sOC. 600 messages,
while the Western Union handles sS.-
3.000.
The telephone system has $685.
s79 miles OF v,Te and the Western
Union 1882. 500 The total property
value Of the telephone compsny is
s5f5.Gi5 SEQ. and that OF the western
Union, s124.0Ss.s2o.
Clothing Needed.
shoes. Undertaking and quantities
OF women's and children's garments
are urgently needed for the families
Of The victims CT the mine disaster.
Also money is necessary 70 take care
Of these poor people dUTing the CON-
ing winter declared r. p. Bickneil.
Of Washington. u. (. director OF the
National Red Cross Society today az
ter a conference with charity work
ers gathered here
The appeal was telegraphed 10 va
rcrs cities IN surrounding states anG
soon after responses came that sup
plies would socn be on The way.
Headquarters were established here
from which charity viii be distribute
q systematically. Each widow of
miner was required to give data as 20
her circumstances. One Of the -
ports. typical Of others. as aiied out
by a widow. read: Name. Marie
BONN. Victims Of disaster. Husband
and Gre son. Nativity. Austria Num-
Der Of children. four. ages months.
3. : and : years. respectively Ecoro-