New-York tribune., 1919-02-25
lest on Best
Operation of
Wires Asked
Mackay Companies Chal-
lenge Burleson to Com
petition in Managing
Would Let Public Decide
No Raise in Rates Promised
if Lines Are Returned:
They Also Assure Service

The Commercial Cable-Postal Tele-
the Administration to make practical,
immediate test of the relative merits
Of government and private operation of
the nations telegraph systems.
"Let the government return our
wires to u.s." said officials of the
Mackay companies. "Let them keep the
Western Union wires, since they seem
so anxious to. and since the Western
Union people seem so willing to have
them. We will operate our system
along our own lines. The government
can operate the Western Union wires
as it deems most expedient. Then the
public can decide for itself which ar
rangement best serves the public"
Such an experiment, officials of the
company pointed out, should remove
this much discussed question alto
gether from the realm Of the conject-
ural and the theoretic. Deterioration
of the service under government man
agement is, they emphasized, univer-
sally conceded The government has
pleaded in extenuation abnormal and
extreme conditions. Here, they said, is
a chance for the two methods of opera
tion to be tried out side by side, con-
tending against the same obstacles, the
same problems. The result should be
to demonstrate which is really the most
Say Rate Raise Not Needed
"If the Administration is not afraid
Of that test" it was said. "there is no
reason why it should not accept our
offer and leave the decision to the
public"
The Mackay companies, it was added,
are ready to enter upon such contest
Immediately.
The issuance of their challenge at
this time was prompted by the publca
ton Yesterday of the recommendation
of Charles E. Elmquist, president of
the National Association Of Railway
and Utilities Commissioners, that all
telephone and telegraph companies be
restored to private management on
June 80.
Commenting on this recommendation.
William J. Deegan, secretary of the
Mackay companies, said yesterday that
his only objection to it was that June
so is too far off. Still higher charges
for service, he declared, are now in
contemplation by the government
shortly to become effective. Emphasiz-
ing the fact that the Mackay lines do
not desire or need any rate increases,
he added that the sooner the Postal
Telegraph lines were restored the bet
ter it would be for the public
Would Compete With Burleson
In a prepared statement Mr. Deegan
presented the case of the Mackay COM
pancs as follows:
"The only reason given by Mr.. Burle
son for holding on to these lines is
that he may finance crippled telephone
companies by increasing rates. The
Postal Telegraph Commercial Cables
are asking for no financial assistance
| from the United States government
and they do not wish to increase rates,
and we will say now that if Mr.. Burle-
son thinks that the Bell Telephone and
the Western Union or any other wire
companies need government assistance
we suggest that he keep those for the
present and turn back our lines to u.s.
and it will give us great pleasure to
compete with Mr.. Burleson in the tele-
graph and cable business.
Judging from the complaints of de-
Perforated service which are being
made since Mr.. Burleson took control
we have no doubt of our ability to more
than hold our own against any tele-
graphs and cables operated by him..
Furthermore, in addition to the re-
cent increase in telephone rates there