Newark post., 1919-02-12
Vail WANTS US.
TO BE Center OF
Great |NTERNA-
TI0NAL wire
SYSTEM
For Protection of Our Political
and Economic Position
Holds for UnificatiOn and Fed
eraI Regulation of Utilities

A letter of Theo. n. Vail, OF the
American Telephone & Telegraph Com.
pany, written in response to a request OF
Hon. John A. Moon, Chairman Com
mittee on Post Office and Post Roads,
House of Representatives is today made
public. Mr.. Walls letter is plea for the
unihcation and proper control and regu-
lation of utilities, particularly the wire
system, and, what is more important,
a plea for a worldwide cable system
centering in and controlled in the United
States as an essential to the extension OF
American commerce. Here are two
things in which the public is Interested:
A wire system that will give them all
the service at the best rates possible and
one that can maintain standard service,
and the extension of American commerce.
The letter refers to House Bill 368.
1t is not MIR. Walls understanding that
this bill is a Government ownership and
operating measure, but rather that it has
a definite purpose to allow sufficient time
to prepare and present to Congress a
specific proposition for the reorganiza-
ton which will work for the efficiency
and economy of the international and
International wire systems operated and
controlled from the United States. A
thoroughly considered, well -thought-out
solution cannot be prepared under pres
sure or in the present short session OF
Congress. 1t is recognized that in the
interest of the public the utilities should
not be returned to the owners without
some correction of the existing deficien-
cies in regulation and control; hence it
would seem highly desirable for the
country and for the proprietors that
time should be given for such solution.
In short, Mr. Wallis plea is a strong
argument against the immediate return
of the utilities without any remedial
legislation to cure the evils which now
exist in the multiplicity Of un-correlated
| irresponsible, complex, contradictory and
| overlapping forms of control or regula'
/ ton.
| Mr.. Vail says, There is without doubt
an opportunity for a great piece OF bene'
| fetal and constructive work by com
! bining and co-ordinating all the Variou:
existing utility services or those that are
/ complementary and supplementary into
one or more well-balanCed systems, the
extent of which should be determined by
the nature of the service, by the eXten
of the service rendered, and by CONNER
cial, geographic, economic reasons; anC
bv combining in a direct manner, anC
as far as possible divorced from politica
or partisan or class influence, the requi
site power and authority of the Fedora
Government expressed in mandate tt
equilibrate revenue, operating costs ant
capital charges, with an operating organ
ization, adapted to the requirements Q
the service, and based on the method
which experience, enterprise and opera
ton in the industrial world have show
to be effective efficient and economical.
In order to prove his points, Mr.. Va
treats in a thorough manner the Who'll
art of the Electrical Transmission {
, Intelligence, and by describing the hi:
tory, methods, development and achieve
ments of the art, makes an unanswerabl
argument for a universal system of tn
greatest benefit to the public and ye
, properly regulated and controlled frol
a single federated source. He says tt
wire system of the future will be or
nationwide system under single contrc
by or over which direct communicate
can be established between any tN
places for the electrical transmission
any communication or of the spoke
, word; and every individual place W
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