Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-08
OVERSEAS PHONE
| CALLS NET $4,000
transactions Involving &c.
100000 Are Completed by
New Service First Day.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press,
NEW YORK, January S.-The fam
fly telephone in every cross-road,
hamlet in the country today became
a possible link with London follow
ing the successful inauguration OF
the transatlatic radiophone service
Yesterday.
No greater technical difficulties
would be involved in extending the
service to other cities, officials OF the
America Telephone and Telegraph Co
said, than would be met in ordinary
long distance connections. Further
extension, they said. depended mere
ly upon the public demand.
More than 40 conversations marked
the opening of the New York-London
service at an estimated cost to the
subscribers of $4,000.
Service Meets Hope.
The possibilities of extension of the
service TO inland cities was demon
strated in a call between the New
York World and its London repre-
sentative, during which the st. Louis
Post Dispatch listened in through an
ordinary long distance connection.
Another call received here by MAJ.
Edward Bowes, mana ging director OF
the Capitol Theater. was relaNed 10y
him over land wires TO John Gilbert
at a motion picture studio in culver
City, Calf, 1000 miles away.
Inauguration of the service met eX-
pectations of telephone company Off
ia lie in, aI-p-,- way they "a i'll tipSntTa
the worst static conditions in month.
At intervals service had to be Sus.
pended. due TO the air disturbances
hut the delays were only temporary
and all conversations were completed
London Hears Better.
While reception here at times was
rather difficult. at other times the con-
versations became as clear as over
any ordinary telephone line. London
heard New York. however, far better
than New York heard London. This
was explained by the fact that speech
from this side was carried stimuli
taneously from two radio stations at
widely separated wave lengths. there
by lessening the static.
The service was officially opened at
S:44 in the morning with formal cere-
monies and continued until o'clock
last night. During that period f7nan-
cial transactions involving more than
Sc, 900 were completed. news dis
patches and advertisements were re-
ceived
There was no privacy in the CONVEX
sations.
Listens at WIN.
The New York World today prints
verbatim copies OF many converse
lions picked up by its radio receiving
station, and a wireless amateur in
johannesburg. South Africa, reports
he was able to listen in at will.
The World explains that the first
days conversations were experiment
tai, and SO a report of the converse
lions is not eavesdropping, but rec
ord of the successes and failures of
the conversations.
Mayor Walker of New York, talking
with the Lord Mayor of London. re-
marked that since only millions We're
listening, he would talk confidentially.
The worlds log of conversations
notes references to confirming bust
ness deals by cable.
Asks For Drink
The telephone company, however,
already had warned that secrecy was
impossible at the present stage of de-
velopment of the service. Later, il is
hoped to eliminate any possibility of
listening in on conversations.
For SIS a minute everything was
discussed that would be the subject
of call anywhere to the suburbs
the weather. the wife, the children,
etc. One New Yorker asked a London
friend to have a drink for him.