The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-16
WESTERN UNION
 DEF|ES J. 5. IN !.
 CABLE DISPUTE
Carlton Serves Notice Com pany Intends to Connect Lines Regardless of 0p-
 position of Wilson
By Associated Pres.

Washington, December 15.--Notice was given the American government today by Newcomb H. Carlton, presi- dent of the Western Union Telegraph company. that his company intends to connect its new cable from Barbadoes with it's lines in the United States by means of existing cables to Cuba, re- gardless of the opposition of President Wilson and the state department.
 Mir. Cariton's statement was made in testimony before d Senate inter state commerce subcommittee which has before it an sdministration meas ure giving the executive department absolute control over the landing of cable lines on American soil He was one of four witnesses examined at the opening of an inquiry into the whole subject of cable communications and from whose testimony the committee developed among other things that the All-American Cables, Inc, an Arnercan concern, is engaged with the support of the state department in fight against the Western Telegraph Com pany of Great Britain and the Vest ern Union in an effort to break the cable monopoly enjoyed by the British company in Brazil.
 There also was testimony that the All 1-American company enjoys cable monopolies in several Central and South American countries ;lthat the in- ternational communications confer ence here has reached a tentative agreement that no censorship shall be imposed upon messages merely passing through relay points; that there Is no cable communication be- tween the United States and Germany except over British controlled lines; that some foreign governments are subsidizing news agents disseminat- ing reports in other countries and that the Western Union plans further in- dependent connection through Amer ican cable lines to Italy, Holland and Scandinavia.
 TO CONTINUE INQUIRY
 The committee will continue its in- quiry tomorrow and next week, ana it plans to inquire in the matter of dissemination of American news and the handling of cable messages. These subjects were touched -r :. ~..~. lily. today and the committee received sug- gestions from Mir. Carlton that inde- pendent cable lines be established be- tween the United States and Japan and China for the exchange of news with those countries.
 The committee was told today by Mr. Carlton that the censorship of foreign cables was not to be feared in time of peace. He said it required very big organization to censor com and that these had been broken up by European countries gem orally since the war.
 Reading a prepared statement to the committee, MT. Carlton discussed at length the refusal of the American to permit the landing at Miami. Fla, of his company's cabN from Barbadoes which is to connect with the British line there to Brazil and charged that by its actions the government was seeking to preserve "a United States-South American monopoly in favor of another com pany.'
 Elihu Root, Jr., appearing for the All l-America cables, gave an entirely different version of the controversy He said the question in stopping the Miami cable landing was that it might lead to the British company giving up it's Brazilian monopoly and charged that the Western Union had entered into contract with this British com pany, by which the American concern
  the business collected by it in the United States.
 Mir. Root said this contract with the Western uuion was q counter attacx Ly the British company of the Ali America cables as result of the lat tor company obtaining through court litigation in Brazil permission to build it's own lines to Santos and Rio De Janeiro. He said that ll-America was given the option "of retaining it's west coast monopoly and giving up it's lines on the east coast of South America, or taking on in a commercial way the two greatest commercial Communications companies"
 The All-America company. he said, refused the offer. The British govern ment. the witness testified, is support ing the British company in the fight
 Acting Secretary Davis of he state de partment. testifytns as 10 the con troversy between the government and the Western Union. said the President had refused to permit the landing Of the Barbadoes cable because 1t would connect with the British line. which
 (Centiaued sp Paxs rhree)