Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-10
YOUR DAILY PAPER
BY ARTHUR G. STAPLES
In the Lewiston (Me.) Evening
journal

OOuFIldl
You buy q newspaper for a few
cents. You carelessly put your hand
in your pocket and pay for It. You
say Nothing in it," Or you say
Hello, l see there's an earthquake
in Japan"
And you think that you are SOME
critic; that you are a judge of affairs.
Listen.
You read in the Lewiston Journal,
for instance, for the first time, that
Japan had been stricken--its me-
tropolis wiped out. Do you know
what that piece of news cost in life,
in effort, in service, to lay before
you for your three cents--that you
would throw to a beggar?
At 6:20 O. M, Saturday, Septem-
ber /, the Radio Corporation of
| America telephoned The Associated
Press that Japan had been stricken
| by a great earthquake. 1t had hap
pened at noon, Toxic time. In 20
minutes bulletins were .on the wires
to all newspapers. This was the
first information given to readers in
America.
The Japanese earthquake presen-
ltu SOlllC VI INC SsNtA
and perplexing problems in the
! bringing of news around the world
| from Japan to America. At single
! stroke, the usual lines of communi-
cation across the Pacific from Japan
| to San Francisco, both cable and
wireless, were put out of commits
| sion. This compelled an immediate
read diustment so that the communi-
cation from Japan. hitherto across
! the Pacific. would now come in the
other direction around the world,
across Asia, via Singapore, Suez,
| Gibraltar and London, to New ork,
known as the Eastern route. Also
| another outlet across Asia was
available, from Japan northward to
Siberia, to Bondon-New
/ York. known as the Northern route.
The London and New York offices
| thus became active centers, supple
menting the work of San Francisco.
in moving the mass of cable matter
from Japan and nearby points, CIV
ing the first available details of the
catastrophe. In this the facilities oil
! Reuters at many vital points In the
Far East were combined with those
| of the AP in bringing forward
large number of cable dispatches
direct from Osaka, Kobe, Nagasaki,
and other Japanese cities in close
touch with the devastated area.
On the first day of the disaster.
September l, nine of these direct
dispatches from Japan--eight dur
ing the day and one at night had
thus circled the globe westward 10
London and New York. On the fol-
lowing day, Sunday, the I'd, no less
than 2S of these direct dispatches
from Osaka and other Japanese ana
nearby cities came westward via
London. On Monday, the Sd, there
were 81 such dispatches via Lon
don.
Thus, in the first three days OF
the great disaster, 5S direct des-
patches came around the world
westward via London, giving extend
ed details direct from the cities In
! touch with the area of devastation.
The Pacific route. even in Its Grip
pied condition, was at the same
time bringing a large number OF
direct dispatches from Japan and
China points, these rising rapidly to
,-23 direct dispatches on the Sd. Thus
from both directions, from the West
and from the East, these messages
from the stricken area flowed around
the world and into America, giving
n steadily increasing picture of the
great disaster through its first cru
cial days.
The route across Asia was in the
main the Eastern, via Suez, at the
outset. But it soon developed that
; the Northern route, via Siberia and
European Russia, was exceptionally
fast. This route was freely used,
| making about six hours in linking
Japan and China with London and
| New York.
In the first week of the disaster
more than one hundred d-exactly 101
direct dispatches from the Orient
had come by these Asiatic routes to
London and New York, over and
above the large and constantly in
creasing number 70 dispatches CON-
ing across the Pacific to San Fran
cisco.
This what you get for a few cents
A correspondent went 141 miles
through hell to get part of this
and altogether IL was the combined
effort OF an entire world of CORE
, spondents-all for You. To serve
you with the story that perhaps yol
turn aside for the mere exclamation
i"Hello; there's another earthquake
in Japan" --------.----,