Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-29
EXPLAINS MERGER
OF WIRE AND RADIO
G. S. Shoup Tells CouzenS'
Committee of British Com
bine'S Workings.
BY MARTIN CODEL.


The specter Of British domination OF
the worlds channels OF communication
both cable and radio, was the subject
of scrutiny by the Senate Committee
on Interstate Commerce after 1t had
finished inquiring into the radio patent
situation From @. Stanley Shoup,
chief of the communications section OF
the Department OF Commerce, the COM
mittee holding hearings on the ColiHenS
communications bill sought enll8hten-
ment on the huge combination OF cable
and radio systems recently effected by
the British and its probable effect upon
American communications.
Mr. Shoup is a. authority on the sub
feet Of the British merger. lie Is author
Of a bulletin. issued "A year ago, on the
British wireless system, an imperial ra-
dio chain that D. rlValed III scope ana
magnitude only by the American Sys-
tenn. He also wrote an account OF lhe
control OF international radio communl-
cation that provoked considerable COM
ment when published last March by the
American Academy Of Political and So
Cial Science.
The young Government communica-
tions chief has at his finger tips The
details of the British Cable-radio mer-
ger, which on April / brought together
all the British Empires government
owned and privately cable and
radio systems into giant unified prl-
vate holding and operating company.
1t Is this company and the similar uni
ficationS that are taking place III
France, Germany and Italv that the
competing cable and radio systems OF
the United States. prohibited by law
from merging, must combat for trafnc
In the impending struggle for SUI
premacy.
Controls Beam Circuits.
The magnitude Of the British COM
pany'S operations is apparent not only
from the fact that 1t represents the
concerted action OF its domiuions and
possessions but also. by reason OF Great
Britain'S control OF fully half the cables
of the world. If cables can be cut, as
they were during the World War, the
British company is fortified by having
the use of both the former post office
departments imperial beam system and
the Marconi directional radio beam.
With respect to international radio
circuits, this country is in the position
that 1t must be kept >Strong because a
vast amount OF the worlds word trafnc
is necessarily directed 10 and from these
shores on account OF Americas COM
manding place in world trade.
1t will be III seeking business in for
eign countries that the United States
faces probable struggle. Moreover, this
country also has to retain a goodly
share Of the limited number of inter-
national wave lengths available to the
world in order to maintain a strong
system.
Mr.. Shoup has pointed out that as
industry and commerce intenSifleS ii
follows that there will be resultant
increase in the volume Of cable and
radio correspondence, so that both cable
and radio companies must look forward
to greater traffic III the future. The
conception OF perfect system OF mod
ern communications he says Is radio
and cable network so co-ordinated that
if transmission difficulties occur in one
method traffic can Immediately pe
routed by the other with no delay.
Performs Distinct Service.
each" he has said. performs serv-
ices for which the other is unsuited
and there should be close corporation
between them" For example, the Ca
bles are free from the atmospheric dis
turbances that sometimes Wreak havoc
with radio transmission. But they
sometimes break, interrupting service
On the other hand, the radio has no
lands end" and New York is thus able
to communicate directly with such
places as Warsaw or Rome without the
necessity of land line relay across
Continental Europe.
Such co-ordfnated system was COM
mended to the committee recently by
Gen. George o. Gibbs, chief Of the
Army Signal Corps. who cited the ex-
ample of the Alaskan cable-radio sys-
tenn developed by the Army. Against
this theory officials of the State Depart
ment recommended the maintenance OF
competition between American cables
and radio Among communications
leaders there Is "a movement on foot to
obtain congressional authority to fuse
Americas international facilities.
The Senate committee concluded its
patent inquiries, for the time at least
by questioning Comdr. Harold Dodd
officer in charge Of patents of the Judge
Advocate Generals Office, Navy Depart
ment. Comdr. Dodd testified that the
Government holds SIS radio patents Of
the LOG seized from the Germans dur
ing the war, the others having expired
1t licenses on croSs-licenSe basis the
private manufacturers who wish to use
the patents. The Navy has not prose
cuted infringementS OF its patents In
the absence of legislative authority, hs
said. 1t has not joined the suit over
the Alexanders0n tuned radio frequency
amplifcation patent. now pending II
Los Angeles Federal Court, because
Government property is not at stake.
The AleXanderSon patent is alleged
to have been antedated by an invention
by Schloemilch and Won Bronx, Ger.
man scientists, whose patent was seizeC
during the war. Comdr. Dodd said the
decision of the Canadian Suprem,
Court, unfolding the German as agains
the Alexanderson patent. was ''perSua
sive," but that the broad principle O
governmental participation in the radio
industry by drawing royalties on IT.
patents and the matter of suits by tn,
Government for alleged infringement
involve policies that remain to b,
settled.
Copyright. 1929. by North American