WORLD COMMUNICATION MONOPOLIES

Evening Star, Issue 25618, 19 October 1945, Page 6

WORLD COMMUNICATION MONOPOLIES

BREAK-UP MOVE BY UNITED STATES NEW Y’ORK, October 18. At the Bermuda conference, which will begin on November 19, the United States will endeavour to solve a long list of differences with Great Britain and the dominions over the British control of cable and wireless communications in many parts of the world, says the ‘ New York Times ’ Washington correspondent. The United States will suggest the following general policy:—First, the abolition by the United States and the British Empire of all communications monopolies in countries other than their own, for example, British monopoly rights in Saudi Arabia; secondly, the abolition of Empire preferential rates; thirdly, the adoption by the United States and the Empire of low uniform rates, with the right to send messages from any point in these countries to any other point at 20 cents a word; fourthly, the adoption of the principle of transmission of messages from the United States and the Empire by the most expeditious routes; fifthly, the extension of tlie wireless circuit granted by the Empire to the United States during tlie war for the duration and six months afterwards, to a permanent basis.

The United States recognises that the vast network of Empire communications lias been built up at British expense and consequently will not demand rates which will not protect the original British investment. Originally it was intended to attempt to get the Empire to agree at Bermuda to a declaration that “ all persons responsible for informing people should have equal and unobstructed access to information and the right to transmit information at low and uniform rates,” but it has now been decided that this problem can be dealt with more effectively by writing the principle into the peace treaties and taking it up through regular diplomatic channels with Russia and other countries which exercise strict control of. the transmission of information to the outside world.