The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-30

lcentury an alliance, offensive and de-
fensive, existed between the old New
York Associated Press, a news selling
Organization owned by sev~n New York
papers, and the Western Union Tele-
graph company under the terms of
which the New York Associated Press
dealt solely with the Western Union and
the Western Union in turn gave dis
terminating rates and advantages to
the New York Associated Press
Although this arrangement Gin the
light of today very improper one)
was abolished more than 80 years ago,
many people think that it still exists
and occasionally some one arises fierce
| ~ to denounce this unholy alliance.
The simple truth Is that the Asso-
ciated Press has during all these 80
years and more paid exactly what other
news associations pay, and that the
rates charged by the telegraph COM
panies for the facilities furnished US
are greatly In excess of those charged
individual newspapers and still more
than those charged stockholders hav-
| ing leased wires.
| The Associated Press leases wires,
many thousands of miles of them, from
the Western Union. the Postal, the
American Telegraph and Telephone
company and from several of the in
dependent telephone companies.
| The first three have a common basic
rate, charging us $24 mile a year in
the daytime and $12 mile year at
might. For exactly the same wire they
charge an individual newspaper $40 and
4 $40, respectively, and stockbroker
gets still further reduction.
Far from receiving discriminatory
favors, the Associated Press feels that
1 it is being distinctly and heavily dis
criminated against.
| In these days when all transactions on
a large scale are being subjected to SO
rigid a scrutiny it is natural that so con-
| spicuous a mark of public attention as is
| the Associated Press should not find itself
immune from critical inspection.
| From time to time some voice is raised
| denouncing the Associated Press in the
same breath both as a monopoly and be-
cause 1t is not monopoly, and insisting
that it become monopoly by admitting
to its membership all desiring its serv-
| Ice; the theory being that in some way
the activities of the association impress
| it with public use and subject 1t to
| the obligation of a common carrier to
! serve all corners.
| From an ethical standpoint only, then,
/ is there anything improper. unsafe, or
| unwise in group of newspapers large
| or small, associating themselves together
to do thing that each must otherwise
do separately and of reserving to them
selves the right to determine to what ex-
tent the membership of such group shall
| be enlarged?
| 1t does not seem possible to hold fairly
that newspaper in New York may not
| join with one in Chicago and one In
Philadelphia to maintain common cor
respondent In Washington without max
| ing 1t obligatory on these three news
| papers to share the fruits of their enter
prise with other New York, Chicago, and
Philadelphia newspapers.
| If In addition they arrange that each
shall supply the others with the news OF
its home city, Ia 1t within the bounds of
reason that they are required to furnish
to competitors the same facilities?
| l give this illustration because that Is
exactly the relation of the newspapers
| composing the Associated Press-the scale
only being enlarged.
The obligations of common carrier
are. however, In no wise dependent on
tho mssniture OF Its transactions. The
ferry sculled across stream Is Just as
much Impressed with q public use as IL
the Pennsylvania railroad. Each Is
common carrier, 1t II tho nature OF the
transaction and not Its size that deter
mines It's obligations. Az respects the
| question OF common carriership, what II
right for throe to do ~ proper for 800 or
500 to do.
To compel tho Associated Press to as
sumo an entity OF It's own and to serve
All corners would, IN my Judgment. BRING
about condition fraught with tho srsvsst
dangers 10 the freedom OF the press ana
In turn to the freedom OF tho psopls.
| At present about one-third of the daily
newspapers OF tho country are repre-
sented by msmbership IN the Associated
Press.
Fhsfe are number Of concerns en-
saseq IN tho nollsetien and sale of gan
! erai rews to non-menihers of the Asso-
etnted Prtss, and In cns way or another
they supply their customers with what
are declared TO BE- satisfactory services,
II nQ wlss dali3pT 10 BECOME snytIsiag