Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-05-13
RAD|O-TELEGRAPH
SERVICE GAINING
Rivalry to Cut Prices on
Messages Sent Over
Air.
BY MARTIN CoDEL.

~ N the theory that the wire
IA telegraph services were ade-
~ quately serving domestic
needs, the radio communica-
tons companies for q long
time eschewed intercity radiotele-
graph services and confined them
selves largely to overseas word trafic
in competition with the cables. Not
until four or five years ago. when an
Inflated attempt was made to estab-
lish a national radiotelegraph system
in competition with the wires, did
the big radio communications COM
panies begin to show any real interest
in this field.
The theory heretofore had been
that Western Union and Postal Tele-
graph could handle all the intercity
traffic there was, and that more cir
cults via radio would be superfiuous.
This feeling long prevailed despite
the fact that wave lengths were
| available for domestic autobiography,
and there were even hints that the
big companies were in league with
one another to keep out of their re-
i spective fields.
A big change Of heart has come
over the communications executives
lately. Now they are engaged in an
interesting rivalry for domestic as
well as international radio suprem-
acy. It Is rivalry that has already
borne fruit in a slight lowering Of
rates by way Of allowing the sending
of more words at the same price.
New Service Opened.
Latest move in the race, which Is
really between the Radio Corporation
Of America and the International
Telephone & Telegraph Co., both Of
which have bitterly competitive sub
salaries in the overseas field. was the
recent opening Of a Boston-to-New
York-to- Washington service by r.
c. A.
Allied with Western Union, whose
wires it is using temporarily. r.
C. A. IS offering to carry 15-word
messages between those cities at the
usual wire rate Of 10 or go words at
the price of so. This is preliminary
to the establishment of its own radio
stations in Boston and Washington,
in addition to those it already has at
New York and San Francisco. Be-
fore June /, r. @. A. promises SINH
lar service to Chicago and New Or
leans, and it has also asked the Ra-
dio Commission for authority to
build and operate stations at Seattle,
Los Angeles and Detroit.
According to the joint announce
ment by David Sarnof, r. c. A. presi-
dent, and r. B. White, Western Union
president, other cities will be added
later. 1t is not known whether the
ultra-short wave r. c. A. picture
telegram" service, now in the expert
mental stage, but confidently predicted
as the next great advance in record
communication. will also be developed
in collaboration with Western Union,
which has always scorned the radio
field, both domestic and overseas.
Mackey Interests.
| On the other side is the Mackay
Radio & Telegraph Co.. sister sub
sidiary with Postal Telegraph OF the
!. T. & T. Even before r. c. A.
got into the domestic field, Mackay
had projected or In operation II inter-
city radio stations at New York,
Boston. Washington, Chicago, New
Orleans, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland.
San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles
and San Diego. Most of the Pacific
Coast stations Of the Mackay group
were heritageS of the old Federal
Telegraph Co., acquired some years
ago by the l. T. & T. and continued in
operation as adjuncts of Postal Tele-
graph.
These Mackay stations, using Postal
Telegraph Offices for pickup and de-
livery just as the r. c. A. now uses
Western Union Offices, offer the same
| special rates for messages routed via
radio. In addition, Mackay has been
authorized by the Radio Commission
to build other stations at Kansas City
and Atlanta, which it is now doing.
More than that, it also has ambitious
expansion plans in mind.
| The rivalry thus engendered Is &C
cordingly giving the public the same
competitive benefits that accrued to
it when radio entered into competition
with the overseas cables. Nor is the
end in sight, for the aforementioned
picture telegram" system may in the
next few years lead to a revamping
of the whole telegraph set-up. Using
the plentiful ultra-short radio waves,
about which Marconi has spoken so
much, r. c. A. has erected stations
in New York, New Brunswick, N. j.;
Trenton and Philadelphia over which
it is proposed to send letters and tele-
grams and pictures and facsimiles Of
all sorts to arrive at their destinations
precisely as originally sent.
| Such a system, If successful, mani
testify will revolutionize communica-
tons, but its practical work-a-day
success remains to be demonstrated.
Only 20 miles or so separate these
experimental ultra-short wave stations
because such 'line-of-sight" waves
travel only in straight paths, some
what like searchlight beams, and leave
the earth at a tangent at the horizon.
The stations thus must not only be
at very high points Gin New York the
Empire State tower is used). but they
must be able to act as trunk line
"repeaters."
1t is claimed by r. c. A. engineers
that full sized letterhead, with what
ever may be typed or penned thereon,
can with an adequate number of re
peater" stations be sent from New
York to San Francisco in so seconds.
The day when the public will pay
for such lettergrams or radiograms
by the square inch is confidently pre-
| dicted.