The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-27
PROBABLY REDUCE COST.
GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF
WIRES MAY MAKE FOR
CHEAPER OOMMUNI.
CATION,
Many improvements Will be institute
ed-Especially in Long Distance
Telephone are Among Changes
Planned.

graph systems under the government
will depend to a considerable extent
on the policy President Wilson will
dictate when h takes them over. The
extent to which the eggs may be
scrambled must depend on whether
there is any intention that they shall
ever be unscrambled. 1t can be as
sumed that if the president doesn't
impose conditions with view to un-
scrambling, the postal authorities will
lose no time merging the wire systems
into the postal service, and into each
other, so intimately that separation
will hereafter be well nigh impossible.
1t is expected the president will
give the administrative authorities
plenty of leeway. The postoffice de-
partment is determined. as soon as
possible, to make the service better
and to cheaper it.
The experiment of government rail
way administration, which brought
quick advance of both freight and
passenger rates, has caused fear of
present increase of telephone and
possibly telegraph charges. There
will be nothing of the kind. If fuller
understanding of the problem, follow
ing experience with it, shall necessi-
tate increasing rates it will be bit
ter disappointment to the postmaster
general and his lieutenants. They
have made a close study of the task
rhead of them. and are convinced
that they can provide more telephone
privileges for less charges
But they feel that a free hand is
necessary to get full and early re-
suits. If the different properties are
turned over on such conditions that
they may from the outset be handled
with view to quick unification, re
suits most promptly will be conc,u
i've.
Here are some things the postal adj
ministration wants to accomplish:
Abolition of the per call method OF
charging and substitution of a fiat
system of instrument rental.
Consolidation of telegraph, tele-
phone, and postoftice, by which to
save rentals and at the same time
MAKE possible greatly to increase the
number of these stations in cities. A
town with thirty postofiice substa-
uons, twenty Western Union and ten
ostai Offices might expect to have
forty substations handling telegraph,
mail, and telephone business. These
would be better distributed because
competition being ended, a single Of
flee would suffice in city neighbor-
hoods where formerly two companies
had to maintain them close together.
In towns where there are two tele-
phone exchanges. one or the other
would be closed as soon as possible
The better plant would be kept in
commission and the cables of the 9th
er exchange connected with its
switchboards.
This Encouragement would be diff
cult unless absolute freedom were
given the management of the proper
ties. The telephone business is en-
tirely different from the railroad in
this regard. An exchange once shut
down could never be returned to its
owners and put back into business. |
The railroad administration confront
ed no problem of scrapping whole
properties: telephone consolidation |
necessitates just that. 1t cannot be !
lone unless the operating manage
nent has complete discretion to ig-
lore the possibility of some day re-
urning the properties to their corpo-
ate owners.
In less degree, this question of
maintaining the integrity of physical
plants will determine how the rival
elegraph systems shall be handled.
methods for the future
viii be based on the expectation OF
making one system Of wires serve
'here there have been three. The |
anne copper wires will be used 70,
and telephoning at the I
anne time, which is possible. But
II wires are so heavily loaded at 5
resent that economies of this sort
,ould have to be developed gradually =
$ new construction gives opportunity !
Dr. unification of plants. f
The postoffice people have no notion a
taking over the small Independents
'iephone lines. These would be op- t
rated under license issued by the l
apartment of operations. On the 9TH
hand. independent systems of toll 0