Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-05
CARLTON FLAUNTS
RADIO COMPETITION
Western Union Head Points
to $4,000 Offices as Reply
to Wireless.
BIZ MARTIN CoDEL.

NEW YORK, April 5.--Another dep
recatory fling at the several national
broadcasting projects that are being
projected to compete with the land line
telegraph systems is the only reply that
Newcomb Carlton, president Of the
Western Union, viii give to the chal-
lenge of radio to the wire companies.
Although he would not comment on
the individual radio projects that are
being undertaken for intercity services
namely, those of the Universal Wireless
Communications Co., Inc, and the RAJ
dio Corporation Of America-Mr. Carlton
old make this fiat statement to his In
terviewer:
To-day there isn't a person who is
seriously considering going into the land
line business by radio"
This is exactly what the Universal,
recently granted 40 wave lengths by the
Federal Radio Commission for q net
work linking ITO cities Of the United
States, and the Radio Corporation Of
America, soon to obtain extensions OF
its transoceanic channels and some
continental wave lengths for network
connecting about 80 cities, have re-
peatedly stated they propose to do.
Universal, In fact, announced this week
that its New Chicago circuit was
already in experimental operation.
Dubious of Future.
Nevertheless, Mr.. Carlton remains
dubious about the future prospects OF
radio-telegraph ventures, at least in the
domestic field. In international COM
munications, of course, radio has al
ready developed into formidable COM
petitor for traffic with the cables oper-
ated by Western Union.
1--WE are not worrying" Mr.. Carlton
said. Certainly we are more interested
in such ventures than any other per-
sons on earth. We have the greatest
the number of cities there are in the
United States that must be served.
How many can the radio handle? At
the very most but few. When the
time comes for radio in this field you
will find us prepared"
The Western Union has something
like $4,000 branch offices throughout
the United States. It covers practically
every important community, and it is
Mr.. Cartons contention that the radio
development cannot conceivably be as
widespread in the immediate or perhaps
even in the far future. When asked by
the interviewer why Western Union has
so aSsiduouSly remained aioof from ra-
dio. he referred to the company's 1928
annual report, just issued.
LAS to domestic land line transmits
sion," said the portion of the report
that expressed what Mr.. Carlton said
was his and his company's. attitude,
I'VE await with an open mind the DEM
onstration of comprehensive system
by radio. An effort to displace land
wires by radio is interesting from a
scientific point of view, but the prob
lens are such that our faith repoSes in
wires.
Distribution Is Key.
"It will be found by those who COM
pete for land kilograms that the me-
dium of connecting the thousands of
villages, towns and cities Is incident to
the major problem of collecting and
distributing the millions and millions
of messages. IT, however, in the years
to come system superior to wires Is
developed, it can safely be assumed that
our company will be in the forefront OF
such development" sss
The Universal company proposes that
its system shall cover major cities in
every State in the Union. The Radio
Corporation of America not only pro-
poses to handle traffic between certain
larger cities, but also wants a domestic
radio-telegraph network to serve as a
feeder into its widespread interna-
tional radio system
With regard to the international sit
uation, in which the acquisition of the
Radio Corporation of America ship and
transoceanic systems is proposed by the
International Telephone a. Telegraph
Co., If the prohibitive section of the
radio act can be circumvented, Mr.
Carlton remarked that the Radio Cor
poration of America International Tele-
phone g. Telegraph Co. negotiations
represented "a beginning where we left
of" he referred to the fact that earlier
negotiations looking to fusion Of the
Western Union and Radio CORPORATION
Of America failed to consummate.
Mr.. Carlton said he was unwilling to
comment on the proposed action of
Western Unions competitors. He added
that he would have something to say
about the international situation when
it is brought up, presumably in Con-
gresS, where an effort will be made to
secure an amelioration of the laws pro-
hibiting cable and radio mergers.
The proposed International Telephone
& Telegraph Co.'s acquisition of the
Radio Corporation OF America would
join system of telephone, telegraphs
and cables covering most of North and
South America and extending across
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, with
important internal connections In GER
tain European countries, to the world
wide radio circuits of the Radio Cor
poration Of America Such q merger
would consolidate the competitors of
Western Unions cables, most of which
are leased from British interests.
Mr.. Carlton pointed out that Western
Unions position as sole domestic coll
1ector and distributor of American radio
traffic destined for or coming from the
Far East, under contract with the Radio
Corporation of America that runs until
1914. has given his company the oppor-
tunity to observe how wireless is de-
veloping. Meanwhile the North At
lantic cable traffic, he pointed out, has
been on the increase, and 1.-The cables
continue to enjoy by far the greater
part of the business between North
America, Great Britain and Europe"
There are uses for RADIO" he stated,
again pointing to the company,s annual
report. which are unique, such as for
communications with remote inland
countries and over the vast distances
Of the Pacific, where the time differen-
tial necessarily limits the business to
communications which do not materi-
ally suffer through delays due to atmo-
spheric conditions" -
(Copyright, 1929, by North American News
paper Alliance.)