The Washington herald., 1920-12-16

PLANS YANKEE
WORLDCABLES
Carleton Tells of Proposal
To Link u. S. With Asia
And Europe.
TESTIFIES BEFORE
| SENATE MEMBERS
| Declares Foreign Control
Injuries America in
Trade Fields.

The helpless isolation OF America
in the cable world. due 10 the
monopolistic control OF all interns-
tional cable lines by England.
France and Japan, viii be solved
soon when four American-owned
lines will be laid. connecting the
UnNed States with Holland, italy.
Japan and China. Newcomb Carlton.
president of the Western Union
Company. told a Senate subcommit-
tee yesterday afternoon.
The construction Of these lines
will make IL possible for Americans
to communicate with all the coun-
tries of Europe and the Orient
without having these messages
pass through British. French and
japanese hands. Carlton said.
Finds Messages Held Up.
The danger TO the United States
in having all cable communications
In the hSnds OF her business rivals
is demonstrated by hundreds OF
complaints now fled with the State
Department showing that American
messages have been held up by
both the British and japanese and
their trade secrets appropriated.
With the new cable lines in oper-
ation- Carlton told the committee.
an agent OF the government should
be authorized TO flood the cables"
with news and information about
the United States for the purpose
of counteracting information sent
Z hwrL E-a
by Japan throughout the Orient.
generally hostile" to the United
States.
When asked how soon his COM
pany proposed to begin construction
of the four new cables. Carlton re-
piled sardonically:
Waits dor Change.
We contemplate building those
cables IN the near future. but I
think IL will be under the new ad-
ministratioa." -.....a----
The company now operates eight
transatlantic cables. all OF which
have their western terminus in
Newfoundland. British territory. and
their eastern terminus in England
or on the coast OF Ireland" Carlton
said. "An messages after being re
ceived in Great Britain are trans
mitted over lines leased from the
British government and controlled
by the British General Postofhce,
he said. Gable information to con-
tinentsl Europe is simiisSly con
troIied. either by the British oi
French.
r we have in mind a cable 10 Italy
by way of the Azores and through
the Mediterranean, and also q cable
to serve Northern Europe. which
might run to Holland and thence
TO the Scandinavian countries ana
to Germany. This is very essen
tial.
Needs PaciHc Cable.
There is great necessity Of new
cable across the Pacific. We are
only waiting now to see what the
Commercial Gable Company intends
doing, as we understand IL is also
planning to lay q new cable.
We plan q cable running from
Seattle to Japan by way Of the
Aleutian Islands. a distance OF only
$500 miles. Then there will be
another cable running to China also
/ by way of the Aleutian Islands,
but entirely separate from the ca
BILE to Japan. Under no circum-
stances would l attempt TO COM
bine the japanese and Chinese ca
I bles into one. IL wouldn't work
The cable TO China ought 10 be un-
dertaken right away.
Hopes 10 Aid Peace
Carlton said he urged the cable
TO Japan as a peace measure Dc
cause he believed that IL proper
information respecting America Is
carried 40 Japan there Will be q
better understanding between the
two peoples.
-There never will be complete
understanding with Japan until We
set a great volume of uncolor"d
news concerning America over
there" he added. Il am not much
lconcerned about getting American
news into England, because the
English are rather impervious 20
lAmerIcan influence. But we have a
great field in South America, and 10
! Sea ndinavia and Germany"
Carlton also disclosed that the re-
cent controversy between his COM
pany and the State Department.
which refused TO permit a cable
from the Barbados to be landed at
Miami, will be settled by towing
! Union has three cables In operation
from Havana to Miami and the Bar
BADGES business can be handled over
them
Tells Of Threat.
"The State Department has heard
about our plan to do this" Carlton
said, "'and has threatened 20 tear
up the three cables IL we make this
connection. OF course. that is their
right. but we are not very much
afraid"
Carlton declared the State De-
psrtments policy In Interfering
with the laying OF the Barbsdos-
to-Miami cable would create instead
Of prevent a much-feared monopoly.
He spoke ssrcastically Of the
"bloodless battle of Manu. during
which submarine chasers were en-
ployed TO keep workers from put
ting down the cable. The whole
problem Of cable management would
be solved best. he thought. by plse-
ing IL In the bands Of the Interstate
Commerce Commission.