The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-12-17
Pooling of Wires

Pool telegraph. telephone and cable systems
under one executive head" says Theodore VAIL pres
ident of the American Telephone and Telegraph com
pany. Put the United States in the center not out
on the edge, of comprehensive world cable sys-
tenn"
Sure thing That's mighty good idea But
what head2 With telegraphs. telephones and cables
all pooled. whoever operates them is going to have
q monopoly, and monopoies in such patent public
utilities bad business if they in the wrong
hands.
We say: Let's pool the telephone and telegraph
lines and cables. Then let's pool the big government
wireless stations along with them. Then let's put
the mails into the pot And when all that Is done,
let's do away altogether with our old postoffice
department and create new cabinet Job-that of
secretary of communication.
And Uncle Sam should continue to run the whole
business Uncle Sam is the only executive head"
that, war or peace, emergency no emergency,
be counted on to such great co-ordinated sys-
tenn solely and simply in the interests of the Amer1
can nation and the American people.
There some things that government
such rs ours dealing with large units and actuated
only by thought of service can do better than any
individual. In the first place, the individual has
not got the great capital or power for organization
of the government. In the second place. his very
existence demands that he show profit on every bit
of business he does Profit not service, becomes the
first consideration.
Great emergencies show what are the things the
government can do best. The present war has been
startling in this respect We had not gone half
way toward getting whole force into it before
the railroads broke down and Uncle Sam had to
take them over. And then came these very tele
phones, telegraphs and cables that Vail is talking
ABOUT Ii a of absolutely having TO
have the right kind of service whether the operating
companies could give il to Us af q profit or not
And our government stepped tud got il for u.s.
The war is over t..ea.ly But has
the emergency taught .a on? The danger
is past! But the immediate future holds much of
Importance In connection with this teephone-tele-
graph-cabe-wreless scheme this is particularly true
Here is just angle: In the interests of
sound international relations such will have n di-
rect bearing on the prevention of other great wars
it is of first Importance that adequate cheap
cable service be maintained between the United
States and South America. well rs between the
United States and the Orient If we are going to
go sanely and sensibly to work toward promoting
better international understanding these cables and
other methods of communication must be maintained
whether Wall 81. big money in them or not
Who else but Uncle Sam is fitted for that sort of
an enterprise?
The existence Of the postoffiee department itself
is ample precedent for government operating
these other agencies of communication (for that's
what they really supplements of our mail sys-
tenn that have grown up since the postoffice was
established). Only let's change it into depart
ment of communication. the very name of which
will include all of conveying thought writ
ten or spoken. inside outside our borders.
We decidedly for the pooling of not only
telephone and telegraph lines and cables, but the
mails and wireless well. But the people should
hole the strings in matters in which they are so
vitality interested. just they have always held the
strings on their mails and highways.