Evening star., 1923-03-21
WIRELESS RIGHTS !
CAUSE OF TANGLE
U. S. and Japan Exchange
Notes Over Radio Conces-
sions in China.
by FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

by FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Behind the diplomatic scenes in
Washington. Toxic and Peking a dra-
matte duel is being fought over radio
rights in China. The United States
and Japan are at loggerheads over
concessions involving not only wire-
! less communications throughout
China, but also between Asia and
North America. The United States ;s
demanding that China recognize the
validity of rights conferred upon the
Federal Telegraph Company Of Cali
| fornia, while Japan insists upon pri-
ority rights held by the immensely
powerful Mitsui combine of Toxic. Az +,
the moment the main issues in dis
pute are between the United States
and Japan. But ancient far eastern
telegraph rights owned by RritisA
and Danish nationals are also q.
stake. as well as more modern claims
put forth by the British Maroon.
Company. The basic principle Of the
open door in China. as enunciated and
advocated by the United States is
the handspring OF the position Sec
! retary Hughes has adopted and te-
naciously maintains.
Concession Granted.
Some time in 1918 China granted 20
the Federal Company, through it's
president. r. p. Schwerin, a conceg-
sion for wireless communications in
China. The concession particularly
provided for the erection Of a great
receiving and sending station for
transmissions across the Pacific. Both
the Americans and the Chinese were
inspired by the desire to establish Il
communications service which should .
| permit them TO become independent
OF either British or japanese inter
ference or influence.
Soon after the Federal concession
was bestowed the Mitsui COMPANY
| represented that it was the owner Of
! prior rights, which would be violated
II the American Company was al
| lowed to carry out its program. Then
began an endless era of diplomatic
seesawing between Pekin, Toxic
and Washington. which is still in
progress, but has now reached more,
OF the Federal Company has been in
China for the past three months at
tempting. with the aid of the Amer
can legation, to induce the Picking
government to authorize construction
operations. To date, presumably be
cause they fear to offend the jap
anese government. which is as
tentions, the Chinese authorities
! have remained in the fence. The
Federal engineers are on the ground
with materials and fully perfected
proceed. Diplomatic dispatches mean
time are piling up in Peking, Wash
| ington and Toxic.
Hughes for "open Door"
On the eve of the Washington
! armament and far-eastern conference
in 1921, Secretary Hughes notified
the Chinese minister to the United
States Of this governments con-
tinuance in its whole-hearted prin-
ciple Of the open door, which it has
tai, both to the interests of China and
itself and to the common interests
of all powers in China and indispen-
sable to the free and peaceful de-
Pacific ocean" This manifesto by
Mr.. Hughes was directly called forth
by Japan's protest against the Fed
eral concession.
THE government of the United States
never has associated itself with any
arrangement which sought TO estab-
lish any special rights in China, which
would abridge the rights of the sub
jects or citizens of other friendly
states; and l am happy to assure you
that it is the purpose of this gov
ernment neither to participate iR
ment which might purport to estab4
lish in favor of foreign interests a
superiority of rights with respect to-
commercial and economic develop
ment in designated regions Of the
territories OF China, or which might
seek to create any such monopoly or
preference as would exclude other
nationals from undertaking any legit-
innate trade or industry or from par
ticipating with the Chinese govern
ment in any category Of public enter
prise"
Contention of United States.
The United States contends that
the Federal concession comprehends
no American wireless monopoly in
or from China. 1t especially points
out that there is nothing in the /
American grant which interferes
with any japanese wireless activities
within China or radio connections
from China to Japan. There is fine
point involved as to whether the
open door" principle rightfully ap-
plies to public utilities. For example,
some authorities say there would be
no equity in China'S granting a rail-
way concession through a certain
district to nationals of one power,
and then turning around; I ,, on the
tionals of another power rights TO
parallel the line in question. Great
Britain and Denmark get into the
present controversy through old ca
respectively, by the Eastern Tele-
graph Company of London and the
Great Northern Telegraph Company
of Copenhag gen. The French have a
great wireless station at Saigon. in
'Indo-China The Japanese foreign
minister informed the parliament at
Toxic a few days ago that the Mitsut
concession would continue to be ad-,
vocated.
The Federal Company of California.
on whose behalf the United States
is battling automatically at Peking,
is the pioneer in overland radio serv-
ice 1t recently jt%ned forces. for its
. far eastern business, with the Radio
Corporation of America. forming for
the purpose the Radio Corporation
!; of Delaware" Hiram w. Johnson,
ir.. son of Senator Johnson, is the
general counsel of the Federal Com
pany, it is said.
Copyright. 1929