Evening star., 1934-05-18
WIDE CODE SESSION
lends IN DISPUTE
N. R. A. Concludes Hearing
With Witnesses in Wide
Disagreement.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
N. R. A. today concluded public
hearings on its proposal to impose a
code on the telegraph industry after
Postal Telegraph officials had re-
newed requests for that action
Howard L. Kern, Postal counsel,
told officials his company had con-
sidered all other means of obtaining
relief from what he called unfair
practices; that the proposed Com
munications Commission could not
work fast enough to give the neces-
sary relief, that Congress could not
legislate directly to cure abuses and
that the code was the only way out.
A. H. Griswold. executive vice pres
1dent OF Postal, said the codes labor
provisions, including a 40-hour week,
would cost his concern $2,767 900 a
year and that the benefits to be OBJ
tained, though substantial. would not
fully offset this increased cost.
Will Make Sacrifice.
He insisted, however his company
was willing to undertake the labor
proposal in expectation Of eventual
benefits
Leighton H. PEBBLES, deputy admin
istrator, concluded the session with
the announcement that the hearing
could be reconvened at the will of
the administrator. He gave no ink
ling as to whether N. r. A. intended
to go through with imposing the code.
He asked c. P. Cooper, American
Telephone & Telegraph Co. vice
president, to state whether his con-
cern was willing to consider an ar
rangement mentioned by Postal
) whereby the telegraphic leased wires
of A. T. g. T. would be operated
under supervision from the regular
telegraph companies which would po-
lice them to prevent free use of the
circuits and other abuses.
Cooper said the question had been
considered from all angles and A. T.
& T. could not see any possibility Of
going further with 1t.
r. C. A. Sees Duplication.
Radio Corporation of America, af-
fected through the transoceanic radio
communication services, objected to
duplicate regulation such as the code
might provide if adopted at the same
time that the new communications
system was set up
Manton Davis of r. C.. A. said,
however, his concern would sign on
the dotted line" whenever the other
communications concerns could agree
on a code N R. A. has unsuccess-
fully sought such an agreement for
more than six months
The T. & T. and several Of its
biggest clients joined yesterday in
protesting against code interference.
Cooper questioned N. R. AS right
to prescribe a code, said the plan
drawn up for restriction and regula-
ton would defeat its own labor
aiding purpose, and defended in de-
tail the vast network of privately
leased telegraphic circuits created by
the telephone company.
A. M. Pope of the First of Boston
Corporation and Guy Mason OF
Chemical Bank Is Trust Co, New
York, both large users of American
Telephone & Telegraph teletype cir
cults, said the bond business was de-
pendent upon the fast. confidential
and accurate service these wires gave,
and protested that the restriction on
their use by numerous correspondents
as proposed by the code would be
ruinouS.
Press Opposition Stated.
Elisha Hanson of the American
Newspaper Publishers Association,
said the newspapers could not sup
port the code.
I'VE have no objection to labor
code" Hanson said, 'and We are
under similar code ourselves. But
we do feel that present and contem-
plated State and Federal regulation
of the communications industry IS
ample, and we do not want to have
to pay the additional costs that would
result from conflicts over jurisdiction
between existing and proposed
agencies"
George r. Hargreaves, representing
International News and Universal
Services, urged specific exception SO
that present differentials on press
rates might be preserved. c. j. Randu.
of the United Press, made similar
argument and said elimination of spe-
cial rates would cost the press asso-
citation industry $10,000,000. Kenneth
c. Hogate, of the Financial Press
Companies of America asked for Spe-
cif1c language to protect the leased
wires of such companies.