Evening star., 1943-06-21
A. P. Suit
Continued From First Page

serve all corners the incentive for
cooperation would no longer exist
1t would shift into an organization
Tor pecunlary profit in private
ownership and subject to private
control. or, because of its judicially
fostered monopolistic status. it
would come under Government reg
ulatlon and control. Here lies the
danger to the freedom of the press. -
President Cites A. P. Record.
Robert Mclean, president of the
A. P. and president of the Philadel-
phia Evening Bulletin, said in his
affidavit that the standard of news
reporting set by the A. P, which
the plaintiff recognizes as being of
the highest, has had a world wide
effect"
The assurance of the mainte-
nance of the present standard of
the Associated Press as a co-opera-
tive enterprise the affairs of which,
IN connection with the maintenance
OF that standard, including admis-
! sion to membership, are within the
control of its members free from
external pressures whether political
or otherwise" Mr.. Mclean said.
SO also does its ability to compete
successfully with commercial news
agencies"
Mr.. Mclean said that under A. P.
bylaws, A. P members were entitled
to certain rights and privileges and.
In turn, agreed to assume certain
duties and obligations. To keep
these factors in effect, he added. it
was essential that the organization
through its representatives shall
have the power of discipline"
Without such power, including
when necessary suspension or eXpul-
sion of a member, the maintenance
OF the high standard of the news
report is impossible" he said. In
any organization which is compelled
to admit all applicants the power to
discipline necessarily dissolves, and
where the public interest is involved
public regulation becomes in
evitable"
Reply to Y. ). Claims.
In general the aff1davits replied to
"a aff1davits filed by the Government
in support of its motion made Nav
rs and challenged. the Government
contention that the A. P. should
serve every newspaper. They in
cluded numerous declarations from
editors and publishers subscribing to
news services other than A. P. who
said they found on-membership in
A. P. no bar to successful newspaper
operations
An affidavit by Kent Cooper,
executive director and general man
ager of A. P, described the organiza-
tlon of the Canadian Press and de-
clared that "in substance the opera
tions of the A. P. and Canadian Press
cooperative news agencies are sup
Elemental" The Government suit
seeks to nullify the existing ex-
change agreement between A. P. and
Canadian Press.
With Canadian Press as sup
Elemental agency, he added, the A. P
is unique among all great news
agencies because of its non-profit,
cooperative character and unlike
news agencies everywhere else in the
world, it has never been subsidized,
directly or indirectly, by Govern
ment or otherwise.
Picture Setup Explained.
Mr.. Cooper said A. P. acquired Wide
World Photos, Inc, of which the
Government seeks to have the A. P.
olvest itself, after Arthur Hays Sulz-
berger, president and publisher of
the New York Times, informed him
that the Times proposed to dis
continue Wide World, but that if
A. P. desired to purchase the COM
pany the New York Times would be
willing to sell it to A. P, of which
the Times was a member, but that
1T would not sell Wide World to
any one else"
He said that the mat service of
Wide World was discontinued by A.P
because it proved to be a financial
loss.
An affidavit by Paul Miller, A. P.
Washington bureau chief and for
merly in charge of Wide World
operations after its acquisition by
A. p, asserted mo newspaper Gus
toner of Wide World was ever in
formed that it could not be serviced
solely because of the change of