The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-07-07
.RADI0TELEPHONE
 SERVICE STARTS
 HERE THURSDAY
Official Opening g of New Communication Link
 to Take Place
SIGNAL CORPS WORKS
 WITH BELL SYSTEM
War Department M a kes Another Step in Ad-
 vancing Alaska

As exclusively announced in The Daily Alaska Empire on May 21, radiotelephone service between Ju- neau and the States is to be in augurated tomorrow. The following is an official release regarding this important event:
 Ceremonies marking the opening of a radiotelephone service be- tween the United States and the Territory of Alaska, the War De- partment announces that Govern ment and commercial telephone service between the continental United States and the Territory of Alaska will be opened officially at |2 pm, Eastern Standard Time, Thursday. July 8, 1887, when con- versations between Government and American Telephone and Telegraph Company officials at Washington and at Juneau will formally in- laugtirate the new radiote1ephone channel between Seattle. Washing ton, and Juneau, the installation of which has recently been com pleted by the Signal Corps, United States Army, in cooperation with the American Telephone and Tele- graph Company.
 Words spoken in Washington at g pm, Thursday afternoon, will reach Juneau at 10 o'clock in the morning of the same day owing to the four hour difference in time between the National and the Ter ritorial capitals.
 At the conclusion of the cere- monies at Washington, the pro- gram will be continued with con- yersations between officials in Se- attle and officials at Juneau over the Seattle Juneau radiotelenbone channel.
 Big HOOkup
 Arrangements have been effect ed between the War Department and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company for intercon- meeting the wire network of the Bell System with the Signal Corps radiotelephone channel at Seattle. Thus, the talking circuit for the opening ceremonies will consist of 3,02l miles of wire line furnished by the Bell System and an 885- mile radiotelephone channel, the entire circuit being 1906 miles long
 The establishment of the Signal Corps operated radiotelephone cir cult between Seattle and Juneau is in keeping with the policy and practice of the War Department to keep pace with the progress and development of the communication so as to provide the army of the United States and, in this in- stance, the public at large. with the most improved communication facilities.
 The Signal Corps of the Army has operated the Alaska communi- cations system since 1900 when the Congress authorized the establish ment of this system for both mili- tary and commercial purposes. This system first consisted of land lines and submarine cables.
 This means of communication was later superseded by radiotele- graph communication and today the principal means of communica- tion in Alaska and between Alaska and the continental United States is by radiotelegraph.
 Accordingly, the new radiotele- phone channel between Seattle and Juneau augmen the existing radiotelegraph facilities of the AL aska communication system. Cor responding to the present practice of relaying Alaskan n commercial radiotelegraph traffic via commer- cial telegraph companies at Seat tie, provision has been made for interconnecting the newly installed War Department radiotelephone channel between Seattle and Ju- neau with the Bell System wire Continued on Page Two)