The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-12-11
VAIL SUGGESTS
VIREC0NIR0L
President of American Tele-
graph and Telephone Com
pany Advises Postmas-
ter Burleson.
RECOMMENDS COMBINA-
TION OF WIRE SERVICE
Letter to Postmaster Genera
Burleson Says Arrangement
Can be Brought About With
out Dismemberment Of Prop
erties-Cable Situation Con
sidered Grave


Washington, Dec S.-Pooling OF tns
telephone and telegraph facilities Oh
the country on the one hand and the
marine cable lines on the other, each
with a comprehensive operating or
ganization under single executive
head, is recommended to Postmaster
General Burleson by Theodore y.
Vail, president of the American Tele-
graph and Telephone Company. IL
his letter, made public toe Nr. Vail
said the pooling arranger.-o, would
be brought about without dlsmemoer-
ment of the properties and i'll SUCH
manner that they could be turned
back to private ownership at the eX-
piration Of the period Of government
control.
What should be done to create an
ideal system" said Mr.. Vail, "can not
be done because Of existing laws, nor
would complete consolidation be justl-
fed since to undo such a consolidated
system into it's former units would
lead to unwarranted waste.
which can be done which would pre-
vent waste and which might, by I'M
provement Of service, help to further
aducate the public and create an ac-
lively favorable attitude toward some
correlation or coordination Of opera
ton and service with the control OF
regulations and restriction, through
some combination Of governmental
authority and private ownership re-
tanning all the advanta aes and incen-
tives Of both.
Mr.. Vail, who is acting as confden-
tial adviser TO Postmaster General
Burleson in the control Of the wire
communication system taken over by
the government, discussed the land
Ind marine wire organizations sepa-
rately. If the United States, he said.
is to become commercial and IN
dustria1 world center, an American ca
Die system consonant with the obl!-
cations and opportunities of the coun-
Try must be organized.
There must be a United States sys-
tenn which will place this country di-
rectly in communication with ever
country with which we have or hope
to have important commercial rela-
lions" declared Mr.. Vail. "As it IS
now we are on one side Of the world
system. We must be made one Of the
centers Of tho 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.
sity is for the East Coast-South Amer
ican Cable to give this country and the
River Platte countries direct cable
communication.
.'Of what use in commerce will be
cur investment Of billions in ships To
carry commerce if we do not give
them and the BUSINESS agents OF a.!
commerce direct communication with
their home ports and home business
houses?
Congress has authorized combina-
ton in foreign commercial enterprises
II the advantages and necessities were
properly presented it SHOULD be pos
eible to obtain promptly such author
;zation or legislation as would give.
under the agencies Of the govern
..lent. authority for combination, and
operation of all electric intercommuni-
cation systems. in direct connection
and coordination with the national
wire system between this country and
I'll foreign countries
There is one thing that calls for
immediate action. The cable situation
is and has been grave. Congestion Is
now the rule and accumulation OF
business is at times serious, and when
the activities Of the peace conference
are really commenced in Europe 1t
vii! be greatly increased.
"By one traffic head controlling ca
l,le operation and few slight changes
in the physical property which could
centralize the cattle terminals as it
were the efficiency can be somewhat
increased.
"If it were lawful or if it could be
brought about by consent of the pro-
prietors. it would be a, great feature
for the commercial and political in
terest of the United States and of ad-
vantage to every country reached by
direct communication if the cable svs-
tens could be consolidated into one
system and the cable systems rear
ranged and extended more or less.
Such a combination would at once
bring about an important saving in /.
cost of operation and eventually bring
about considerable reductions in
charges.
"a broader. cheaper and more
: abundant service will be most ef
!ectual adjunct to our own abundant
service in securing business Of the
United States industries. There is al
ready an active movement being in
particularly in South
America by German commercial
agents to recover their pre-war con-
d;tions and which must be promptly
NET if the United States is to get any
advantage from the present situation"
For the unifcatio2 Of the land