Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-12

owned the railroads within their borders
and the federal government were as
weak relatively to them as the league
Of nations is to the nations of which 1t
is made, you can readily imagine the
confusion in transportation that would
exist and the impossibility Of any uniti e
cation in the general interest.
The Importance to the United States
of means of communication which
does not filter through other national
hands may be gathered from certain
circumstance respecting Japan. Mutual
understanding between the peoples OF
these two countries is of great impor-
tance to the world. Every newspaper
man knows that nothing will do more to
promote such an understanding than a
full, free and unbiased interchange of
news between them.
But no such interchange is possible.
Cable facilities are slow and bad. Japan
official dispatches have the right of way.
They arrive several days in advance of
news dispatches. A government version
of an incident is given out and printed
in the press. A few days later comes
an uncolorpd press association account.
too late to be printed.
Our Effective War News
During the war the American Gov
crnmcnt. with the consent and active
aid of other allied governments, main J.
tained n world wide news service. 1t
was not propaganda but news. the idea
being that an unbiased account of hap
penngs in the United States would help
sustain the morale Of countries at war
and help remind important neutrals that
the countries at war had great reserve
across the water.
1t was work of the committee of
public information. probably the most
useful that committee did. Walter
Rogers was at the head of the service.
The news sent created demand for more
news until finally even the we'll equipped
London papers. would print everything
that Mr.. Rogers sent.
There came demands from Turkey
after the armisticc for American market
news. indicating that international
trade depends upon the rapid and chear
dissemination of information. With the
coming of peace that service had to be
I
prefcrrpd position. Governments con
trolling land and Under water systems
can get their propaganda to the new
nations while Americas voice is un,
| heard or delayed.
Our New Situation Isolated
! Moreover, the existing systems o
communication have broken down. Ii
the press room at 4 Place de la Con
corde. in Paris. notice has beer
posted, most of the time lately. saying
! that cable messages by the leading
transatlantic system were from forty
eight to sixty hours late. That is at {
time when men were themselves crossing
the ocean. in airplancs, in seventeen
hours. an electrically transmitted mes
sage was taking several days. a situa
ton to which Lord Northcliffe sharply
called attention in welcoming the frs
British tier to reach Ireland.
The excuse is made that it is the wa
which has disorganized the cables. bu
the war has been over for many months
| The volume of business has doubled
but no provision has been made to NEE
the increase. The increase is going t.
keep up more rapidly than facilities car
be multiplied.
In other words, we enter upon a new
era of internationalism without thos
facilities which make internationalisr
possible
America is vitally concerned. Con
trolling no big cable system. it, the grea
creditor nation. is worst placed anon
the big nations of the world.