The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-04-06
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
BY J. Il. Jones

BY J. E. Jones
1t is less than w years ago that
the American navy was called upon
to prevent our friends, the British,
from launching their cables on the
Florida coast, thereby tieing up for
the British all the existing means of
communication with Latin America.
One day in January Of last year a
committee of United States senators
got together and listened to a state
ment by Owen ID. Young, chairman of
the board of directors of the Radio
Corporation of America. In the slang
of the street he told them a thing or
two" AS a result of many confer
ences between government officials
and the pioneers who have already
made tremendous strides in the de-
velopment of wireless telephony,
Uncle Sam is no longer alarmed
about the foreign ownership and con-
troll Of the cables. For the results of
a thorough understanding between
the government and the Radio corpor-
alton spurred the latter to hasten
their patriotic efforts and today the
United States is moving rapidly for
ward towards becoming the center OF
a world system of communications in
the operation Of which the whims or
restrictions of foreign nations cut
very little figure.
A few days ago the writer visited
central office" in New York City 4,
where radio messages were passing
to and from Great Britain, France
Norway and Germany. Commune
cations were as immediate as be-
tween telegraph operators; or as tele-
, phone conversation, without any con-
siderable intervening distances. An
operator receiving" a message from
Norway suddenly touched a typewrit-
er key and by that simple action no
titled the Norwegian operator to
stop until the man in New York
could straighten out sheets of paper
he was using. Instantly the order was
obeyed, and a few seconds later the
message from Norway was resumed
when the New York operator signified
that he was ready. l saw it, and
heard it, and it was explained by a
radio official-and still l answered:
"Tain't so-it can't be done. Nor
how could: 1.-The hearing ear and the
seeing eye" hat the Old. Testament
describes play such tricks on what
Byron described as the magic Of the
mind?" And you blame me for ex-
pecting a definite answer to the ques-
ton of my fellow-spectotor, who had
come from the Chicago stockyards,
when he asked: How far Is it to
heaven?" 1t is a long ways-some
one observes-for the packers" and
the great station at the edge Of the
ocean spans the wave lengths and
makes possible instantaneous COM
munication between the old and the
new world.
So recently as November 5, 1921,
President Harding formally opened
the great American Radio Central at
Port Jefferson, Long Island. And, to-
day, five months later, American
ldulO COHlIluuASutioh 10 hoAuAAuS ouC-
fifth Of the messages and volume Of
business between the two continents.
The laying of transatlantic cables,
at the time was considered among the
great achievements of the world. But
cables need never be "cut" again in
order that a victorious Dewey may
more effectually carry on his opera
tions. And the British and the
French can no longer boast Of their
control" OF transatlantic communi-
cation. For radio is not particular
where it goes, and as usual the Yam
KEGS are ahead Of the world in making
it go everywhere. Today you can
talk into radio central and they
will accept your message which they
will transmit by land wires and WIRE
less to my part Of the world.
Secretary Of War Weeks has ad-
vised congress that plans are being
worked out to establish an air route
TO the Panama Canal xone as q meas
ure OF national defense. When land
Ing places have been established.
army planes will be sent to the zone
under their own power. Weeks wants
lots Of planes. and hs figures that he
can beat any foreign navy "scrapped-
Or "unscrapped" with them.
4 Z estimated that the railroads Of
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