The Washington herald., 1921-09-02
news SYSTEM
BY AIR PHONE,
PLAN OF HAYS
Mail Head Looking Into
Cost of Broadcasting
Data Orally.

Postmaster General Will Hays
has visualized. in the not far-dis-
tant future. the possible establish
ment Of a government "radiophone-
newspaper"-not to print news. but
to distribute 1t. by radio-telephone,
throughout the nation to newspa-
pers. homes, clubs and other "sub-
scribers."
Having seen this vision. he has
Immediately set about to learn II
1t would be practicable to put It
into effect The first step has been
to compile the cost of the innova-
ton, which he has found unlikely
to be great: and the second has
been to spprove q voluntary trip to
Europe by r. b. Howell. chairman
Of .sthe national radio committee
estetsSshed by Hays, to investigate
radio telephone developments in
Germany and the ''telephone-news-
paper" in Budapest, Hungary.
Howell speaks of the dream thus:
We have the proven idea of the
word-of-mouth newspaper of Buda-
pest, and that of the lately arrived
wireless or radio telephone. Why
not combine these ideas and broad
cast a state-yes, a nation-with
vocal news, borne upon the wings
Of etheric waves just as the Hun
garian capital is served today
through the medium of wires? Such
a service would be a tremendous
step towards the elimination of
agrarian isolation.
Not for Private Capital.
such a novel enterprise would
have little attraction for private
capital. as anyone able to set up a
receiving apparatus could listen in
and there would be no practicable
way of collecting tolls. AS a mat
ter of fact. If the benefits of such a
promising development are to be en-
joyed by the public generally, CO.
operation must be invoked and,
moreover. compulsory cooperation
that form that government alone
is in a position to organize, usually
referred to as public ownership. 1t
is properly. IL not necessarily, a
development that the national gov
ernment can undertake.
1T is proposed that radiophone
sending stations should be estab-
lished about 400 miles apart
throughout the country, and It is
probable that their cost would come
well within S25.000 each. The cost
of operating such stations would
probably not exceed $1,000 per
month. and the additional expense
involved would be that necessary
on account of the collection of news
and the preparations for broadcast
ing.
Small Private Expense.
Here expense to the government
should end, as all who take advan-
tage of the proposed news service
should establish receiving stations
at their own expense, the cost of
which would probably vary from
$50 to $50 for ordinary apparatus.
The expense of maintaining a re-
ceiving set probably would not be
more than from 81 to 81 per month"
OF course Hays is not going to
start such a radiophone newspaper
until he has thoroughly Investigated
the whole question. His idea is an
outgrowth of the present Posto6ice
Department radio market service,
inaugurated April is, which is CIV
ing market reports daily to news
papers, commercial clubs and other
institutions all over the country.
Appropriation DImculties.
An appropriation from Congress
would probably have to be sought,
which would open up vast political
back-fire. Postoffice officials, how
ever, say that initial trial of such
a service might be made without
a Congressional appropriation be-
cause the radio-telephone could be
set up with the same machinery
now distributing radio market
news. :.
The possible scope of such a
service Is indicated in HowelPs
revelation of what the governne mt
phone-newpaper" in BudaICst
did before the war. 1t established
a daily routine of news, sent from
its Offices over telephone wires to
$4,000 subscribers. who paid two
cents a day for their service. The
news disseminated included for
eign and domestic events; local
and foreign exchange quotations.;
financial. sporting and theatrical
news; parliamentary and provin-
cial news; coWt, political, and
military dispatches; fashion stories
and even provided means whereby
band concerts and opera could be
heard In the homes, clubs adm else
where via the telephone dlstribukS