The Alaska daily empire., 1920-12-07
BRITAIN SEEKING TO BREAKUP
 CONTROL OF TRANSATLANTIC
 CABLES NOW HELD BY AMERICA

authorities here see in the recent an nouncement by the British govern ment of its purchase from the stock holders of the stock of the Direct United States Cable Company an at- tempt to break up American control of most Of the Transatlantic cables which, it is claimed, has existed for the past eight years.
 It is pointed out here that, al- though nearly every cable across the Atlantic Ocean was made in Great Britain and laid by British ships and British workers, United States intersts, in the past few years. have acquired control of the majority of these lines, excepting, of course, the German cables taken over by the Allies during the war and the French lines from Brest to St. Pierre and New York.
 U. S. Holds Whip Hand.
 As showing the predominance of the United States in the control of Atlantic cable lines, it is pointed cut here that the two main systems are those of the Commercial Cable Company, an American concern headed by Clarence MacKay, of New York, and the Western Union Sys- tenn which operates not only the Western Union cables but leased the Anglo American and Direct United States cable line in 1912. This ar engagement, it is said, has resulted in the control by America of the two most important transatlantic cable systems. It is understood here also that the French cables have q friendly relation with the Western Union systemnr
 One of the two German cables acros sthe Atlantic seized by the Allies during the war was diverted 70 that it's terminals were at Pen zance, Eng, and Halifax, N. S. The European end of the other German inc was diverted from Emden to Brest, France.
 This left only one German cable under British control and there was no guarantee that this arrangement WOulu Dc dllOW tu lO Dc in the future. At the big cable con ference in Washington in October last which considered the distribu- ton of German cables seized by the Allies, the principal claim by the United States is understood here to have been that these cables should be surrendered by Great Britain and France and be internationalized if the powers should be unwilling to agree to their transfer to the United States.
 Britain Buys Cable.
 The Direct United States Cable, control of which has been purchased by the British government, extends from Ballinskellgs to Harbor Grace, N. F., and thence to Halifax, N. s. The understanding here is that this line will be taken over by the Brit ish government and worked in con nection with the former German cable to Halifax, thus giving the British Imperial Service two cables instead of one. This second line was required by the British govern ment as safeguard in case of any damage to the one-time German cable At Halifax both these Im- perial cables connect with the Can adian Pacific Railway lines across Canada. Cablegrams transmitted from London are carried by this route across the Atlantic and Can ada and thence by Pacific cable, which is also part of the Imperial System, to Australia, New Zealand and other points in the far east.
 The growth of cable traffic is understood to be continuing and al ready there has been agitation in Great Britain and in Australia for the duplication of the Pacific cable and some Britishers have advocated the laying of a new Imperial line across the Atlantic, so that possibly the scheme now being developed by the British authorities may result In new lines across both oceans.
 It is regarded here as by no means unlikely that wireless tele- graphy may be also developed by an Imperial scheme controlled by the British government. A parlia- mcntory committee, headed by Sir Henry Norman, recently made an extensive report in favor of policy of Empire-owned wireless stations encircling the whole world. Among the several units which might com pose such a wireless system is the big wireless station at St. Johns. erected during the war for naval purposes and still operated by the British Admiralty. But this means the Newfoundland papers now re- ceiye daily, lengthy despatches from Great Britain as part of the pro paganda plan adopted for Empire r-.lI