The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1920-08-13
U. S. GUNS BLOCK
A BRITISH CABLE
Secretary Daniels Sends Destroy
ers to Prevent Linking of
Line on Florida Coast.
NO PERMISSION GRANTED.
Washington Not Opposed to Scheme
Itself, but Does Not Wish Its Au-
thority FIouted.-Company Is
Asked About Monopoly.

Washington. Five American de-
stroyers have been detailed by Secre-
tary Daniels, on orders of President
Wilson, to prevent by any means the
landing of cable at Miami, Fla, for
the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany by British cable ship.
The state department has not yet
authorized the landing of the cable,
which will connect with the Western
Telegraph Company's lines at Barba-
dos. Word reached washington that
the Miami end of the cable was to be
landed despite the fact that specific
authority has not been granted by the
government. Upon receipt of this in-
formation immediate steps were tax
en- to see that the United States gov
ernment was not flouted.
AS explained by officials, in itself
the laying of the cable between Bar
bados and Miami is a good thing. OBJ
lection is only raised to the manner
in which the promoters have attempt
ed to land the cable 1t will furnish
Il direct channel for telegraphic COM
munication between the United States
and Brazil and the east coast of South
America in general. Cables for points
north of Rio de Janeiro now go via
England to Barbados and thence over
the cable of the Western Telegraph
Company, which has concession from
Brazil giving it monopoly.
Information reaching Washington is
that the British cable ship Colonial,
which presumably was chartered by
the Western Union Company to lay the
cable between Barbados and Miami,
already has completed the work to
within one mile of the terminus in the
Florida city, which means that the
cable has been laid two miles inside of
American territorial waters.
American business men have fire.
quently complained of the delay In
transmitting cable messages to and
from New York to points in Brazil via
the British route. Despite denials, 1t
is specifically charged that these mes
sages are held up by the British Board
of Trade. 1t is even charged that in
some instances orders cabled to
American concerns have been held up
long enough to permit British COM
petitorS to fill them.
Reports to the effect have long been
current. Before the world war similar
complaints had been heard, affecting
cables in South America and to Scan
dinavian countries, or wherever the
dispatches were transmitted via Brit
ish cables and through London.
One reason Secretary of the Navy
Daniels so strongly urged Congress to
give the navy specific control over
wireless communications and permit
them to handle a general commercial
business was to obviate the delays and
complaints incident to transmission
via foreign owned cables and make
American business men Independent
Of those channels in large measure.
Recently the Danish government has
completed a high-power radio station
at Copenhagen for direct wireless com
munication with the United States
with the avowed purpose of obviatine
delays to messages via British and
other cables and furnishing a direct
channel for transmission Of CONNER
cial messages between the United
States and Denmark. A SIMILAR pro
ject is under way in Norway.
AS understood here, the Western
Union Company, under its contract
with the British monopoly, will actual
ly take over certain British rights, an(
will handle all cable business direc
with points in Brazil, eliminating the
London censorship entirely, thus get
ting rid Of delay.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany already has started construction
work on a new cable line from tn,
Barbados, and the State Department
has under consideration the company
application for permission to land /
on Florida soil, it was said at th
Western Union offices in New York.