The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-04-16

Washington.-With not even men,
bers of the federal communications
commission knowing what 1t Is all
about, what Is wanted, what possible
good can come Of 1t, or why 1t Is vast
Ing Its time, the inquiry into the az
fairs of the American Telephone and
Telegraph company has begged down
while government paid
agents, delving through data supplied
them by the company at a cost of
more than s1.000.0O0. seek new leads.
SO far deplorable weakness on the
part of federal and state legislators
has been demonstrated. indicating that
the said legislators do, not seem to
think 1t Is crime to accept cigars,
luncheons. and even theater tickets
from officials OF the company interest
ed IN legislation.
Two other important disclosures
have resulted from the investigation
SO far:
ID That the company Is pursuing
mOnOp0lStlc praCllceS.
(2) That 1t derived considerable rev.
enue from poolrooms which used tele-
phone wires to get information as to
horse race results.
The first the company would cheer
fully have conceded, thus saving both
itself and the government lot Of e1-
pense.
The second no one had thought Of
In particular, though merely to suggest
1t would have been 20 have 1t accepted
al no one really thought the poolrooms
were getting their messages either BY
telepathy or wireless. In fact, there
Is some suggestions that the patrons
might not have trusted telepathy-ii
the news obtained thereby was thai
they had lost.
Important Questions
Which leaves two questions:
ID Is 1t the contention OF the gov
eminent seriously that any corpora
ton affected by legislation In both con
gress and the 48 state legislature!
should ignore the legislators and theil
proceedings-make no effort to stat,
Its case?
(2) Is 1t the contention OF any fed
eral official that rates should be re
duced?
Strangely enough, while no membe
OF congress would answer yes t,
question No. In private, many 0
their speeches and actions In investi
eating committees indicate that sucl
would be their answers.
To question No. 2. believe 1t or not
the answer Is that the members 0
the federal communications commits
sion do not know, had given the mat
ter no thought.
From the best possible authority
inside the commission, this writer wa
informed that tentative inquiries wer
made by telephone officials, before the.
started accommodating the vast amour
OF data demanded by the commission
as to what the commission reall
wanted.
Was 1t reduction of rates? Tele
phone officials. pointing out that 0
course the commission had to do onl
with Interstate, and therefore mostl
long distance rates. Intimated the
were considering reducing them any
how, as a matter OF business policy
that they had already marked up tn
time In which night rates applied, an
extended night rates to all day Sur
day. Which. they admitted, had prove
good business. SO maybe Ii they RI
duced all long distance rates the
could earn still more money!
| But no one could tell them. Becaus
only one man connected with the con
mission knows what 1t Is all about, an
he wouldn't tell. That man Is Paul A
Walker. Oklahoma lawyer, who head
the commissions telephone division.
Campaign Stuff
Behind the mild but stubborn II
sIstence OF Senator Arthur H. Wander
berg that Secretary OF Agrlcultur
Henry A. Wallace supply the senat
with lists of all persons and corport
lions paid more than $4,000 In AA.
benefits Is scattering of informatio
which promises that the complete lis
will make good campaign InaterIal--fo
Vandenberg's party.
| Whether Wallace win be able I
avoid furnishing the figures and name
Is not known yet. They may be SUI
| plfad dpcnfta trpmnndOuq npnoeitfa