Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-01
Adoption Of New Instrument, It
Is Believed, Would Greatly In
crease the Business.
SERVICE WOULD BE CHEAPER
Telephone Interests Are Said to
Have "Sewed Up" Many I'm
proyements for Transmission.
BY JONATHAN WINFIELD.

WASHINGTON, Jan. S1.-Recent
agitation Of the question Of govern
snent ownership of telegraph or tele-
phone lines has led TO the prediction
that the conversion of the privately
owned properties would mean the
substitution, within short time, of
new inventions for fast transmission
I OF messages.
1t is predicted that the govern
ment would adopt new instruments
and that the amount OF business
transacted by telegraph would in
crease many fold. with reduction
In rates making the telegraph real
postal facility.
The inventions for rapid and cheap
-Nrsnsmission Of messages have been
found useful in practical operation,
but they have not come into general
use for the very good reason that
their adoption by telegraph com
panies would mean the scrapping OF
considerable equipment now In use.
Telegraph companies are given the
first chance to purchase new inven-
tons; all OF the new schemes have
been tried out. Some of them ac-
complish their purpose, others are
failures. But one and all, they have
been turned down, because OF the
financial operation involved in trans
forming one system into another.
Idea to Save Loss.
The advocates of government
ownership Of the lines assert that the
government would be in a position
Oh oh ma ic
presumed, would be acquired at a
fair value In the first place. The
earning of profit would not be so
much the aim of the government as
the prevention of loss. Bonds to
carry improvements could be f1oated
at lower rates than private corpora
tions are able to obtain. AS a pub
lie utility owned by the government,
the public would demand to have the
benefit of inventions now "sewed up"
by the financial necessities of private
companies. These are the conten-
lions OF those who believe the gov
eminent should take over the lines.
Improvement of service by the sub
stitution of new forms OF invention
would not be confined to the tele-
graph business; IL is a matter of
common report-and OF exact knowl
edge among telephone expertsAthat
many devices to expedite and cheaper
telephone service have been "sewed
up" by the huge telephone interests
for the same reasons which obtain
among telegraph companies.
Government ownership Of wire
communication lines would also in
volve. 1t Is predicted, q monopoly OF
wireless communication and the open
ing of government wireless stations
to commercial use The huge wire
less system OF the United States
government is now devoted to Of
ficial business > The vast majority
OF messages handled are for the
army and navy.
Would Assur- New Devices.
The commercial use OF this system
would n6t involve the questions of
competition against individual effort
or paternal absorption. of private en-
4 business now in private hands. The
government plant is practically new
IND the latest devices are added to
ITS equipment as rapidly as tests
prove their efficiency.
Both in substituting rapid service
instruments for those now In use in
wire communication and In turning
its wireless system over to CONNER
ciai use, the United States govern
ment would be taking over inven-
tions which. when first placed on the
market, have been used largely for
stock selling purposes The story of
wireless" stock~jobbing in England,
which lthreatehed the stability OF a
ministry, andf the fiotation of securi-
ties for several rapid communication
devices inf the United States are ia
miliar. ~
Government ownership OF telegraph
lines may not be so very remote
Those who have looked ahead, believe
fhat the wire system will practically
The re-equipped within a short time
after government ownership has been
consummated.