Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-12-09
Would Keep Land and Sea
Organization Separate But
Governed By One Central
Executive Official.
WOULD MAKE u. S.
CENTER OF SYSTEM
Claims This Country Now
Isolated From Parts of
World From Which Is Nee
eSSary to Draw Business,

tsT MORNING JOURNAL sPso,sL w,sEi
Washington, Dec. S.-Pooling of
the telephone and telegraph facilities
of the country on one hand and the
marine cable lines on the other. each
with comprehensive operating or
ganizatfon under single executive
head Is recommended TO Postmaster
General Burleson by Theodore n.
Vail, president of the American Tele-
graph and Telephone Company.
In his letter made public today. Mr.,
Vail said the pooling arrangement
would be brought about without dis
memberment of the properties and in
such manner that they could be
turned back to private owners at the
expiration of the period of govern
ment control
What should he done to create an
ideal system" said Mr. Vail. cannot
be done because of existing laws, nor
would complete consolidation he JUS
titled since to undo such a consolidat-
ed system into its former units would
lead To t,iira, 4anted waste
There are. however, many things
which can be done which would not
produce waste, and which might. by
Improvement of service help to fur
ther educate the public and create an
actively favorable attitude toward
some correlation or coordination of
operation and service with the con-
troll and regulation and restriction.
through some combination of governs
mental authority and private owner
ship or operation, retaining all the adj
vantages and incentives of both"
Mr. Vail is acting as confidential
In 81 M
Lesson in the control of the wire COM
munication systems taken over by the
government, discussed the land and
marine wire organizations separately.
If the United States, he said, is to be-
come commercial and Industrial
world center an American cable sys-
tenn consonant with the obligations
and opportunities or the country
must be organized.
There must be United States sys-
tenn which win place this country di-
rectly in communication with every
country with which we have or hope
to have important commercial reia-
TONS declared Mr. Vail. "As ii is
now. we are on one side of the world
system. we must be made one of the
centers of the world system if we ex-
pect to compete on even terms with
the world or be properly considered
by the countries we wish to reach.
The immediate and pressing neces-
slty is for the East Coast South Amer
lean cable to give this country and
the River Plate countries direct cable
communication.
'Of what use in commerce will be
our investment of billions in ships to
carry commerce If we do not give
them and the business agents of all
commerce direct communication with
their home ports and home business
houses.
Congress has authorized combina-
ton in foreign commercial enter
prises. If the advantages and necessi-
ties were properly presented it should
be possible 20 obtain promptly such
or legislation as would
give, under the agencies of the gov
ernment, authority for combination
and operation of all electric intercom-
systems. in direct connec-
tion and coordination with the nation
al wire system between this country
and All foreign countries
There is one thing that calls for
action. The cable situation
is and has been grave. Congestion is
now the rule and accumulation of bus
mess is at times serious. and when the
activities of the peace conference are
really commenced in Europe, it will
be greatly increasd
by one traffic head controlling
cable operation and few slight
changes in the physical property
which could centralize the cable term
inals. as II were. the efficiency can
be somewhat increased
"lf it were lawful or ii it could he
brought about hv consent of the pro-
prietors. it would he great feature
for the commercial ard political inter
est of the United States and of great
advantage to everv country reached
by direct communication, if the cable
systems could he consolidated into one
system and the cable systems rear
ranged and extended more or less.
"Such combination would at
once bring about an important saving
IN cost of operation.
"a broader cheaper and more
abundant service will be most ef-
fectual adjunct to our own CONNER
.ial agents IN securing business for
he United States Industries. There
s already an active movement being
particularly in South
America by German commercial
cents to recovAr their pre-war con-
iitio-s and which must be promptly
net II the United States Is to get anv
.dvantage from the present situation.
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