T - International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers

NOVEMBER, 1942 573
Catfish Have Nine Lives
By STANLEV E. Ii11i'K
The picture is a phtograi ph If T
on-, of the large water htatt, -,
used ,$, P tet, load on1 Ile iR...ldrie
Da] piower plant genertor units.
When used it was lower'd ip tl]
down ihito the spillway, or down
str.....Pn.l of the CloIsraIo River.
Th, otg.tre 1 hue a
IT .ou.t 14,500 volts.
Many if the men who ,"tl/ked at
hei, platt I, 11(i36 can vouch fur the
S~,min n around h in etw[!enl
thoe' electrodes of the water -lleuslfit
weft n..meon8 catfish I a Iit
'ighll inches long.
When the "juice" was t urntd oil
{1(e catfish we tPpllfly r e irl_
sianily killed and floated bhlly I, on
the sur.fa(e of the Water. To all in
trills rad purpose thiy w ias ie
dead as the proverbial 'door nail''"
WhMI the juice wais euL ff, wit~hin
half tin ho.. e.er.y eatfish was
swimmtng around as if nothing bad
happemrd. The many tines I [saw
this nsarvelons tenacity of life not
.{ e )f 'ti fish succumbed from hlt
etc'ie11A envelope of death.
You mijht call this short stu y. "Mo 'oi, tell wll?'
-i.ld hulmans are killed in bath tubs from 110 volts.
VOOk A. '. & T.! IT LIVES IN FEAR tern Electric 'as leased not uIhl to major
Coalatlied from1 page 541)
modion)i pitr.' pruhl'evt'u.
Th[e lieiase agreellits een,:iieud res.rirpo
i it ottn ei .d IIot, the lessonI has nievo
I Noris following the pa.ttt-r. 'if the o1d tetlphone
licenlse contrakt Licr'lSeos were for-
been foigotten. Since 1879, the acquisithon
of patelns l/a been oneo of thIu inot biddlen froma making soild records ,vailable
consiselsi.t pratlices of the Bell System. I., theatres that hd nIt. installed reproducing
The grently advertised "iesearch" activi equtipiet liade by W,'ter F]ectal.i. In that
ties if the Bell System are condutetd in maitnlier the Ior o..n. y was exite ndtiaed froil the
pariito keep it, patent
produeers
postitin
to
eon
the
stat
distrilht,,rs
.ly
Aother restriction
tas plaed upon tho operators of theatres
stture, In the :) years from 1916 to 1935
ft'i-bididii,, then, from exhibiting
aront $S25L000,000
oI Western
was spent hI IhI A. T. Electrti reprotleiirg Ippairatus pitures not
& T., through subidiaris ike th, Westr1n
Electric and Bell Laboratries, Inc., Ijioiitt-pie-itlle iitdls} ry was (might going and
rect riled l,, We1trE lctric euipment. The
on ('limjfnerinfz and research. SinC the Coming.
public pays for Lhe research in its tile- As a erm uil.rene of the extensi n of the A.
}phiTlt, rules Ihe work can prn'edtl happily,
with the conpany's ,xceutives, if di/ try, the puhd e, whih had Iil.nu. ed the
T. V T. ,rhIulml)Iy intn .. e ... ation-picture in-
not k iresearch workers, k'.lieved
of reqatch anm exillese ,f lintent aequisition,
t.O.e. worries. Accordingly the ,,,lpaly am] which had long IlAiIted to pay re3'yties
could w ell affoid the t925*
and license
$ iatent
fees for the ie of the patents
for whieh il had tibtlJi1a{y Iaid. wvas
owned
then
in 1985, although less than half of
zlveru the dditfio,, liritleg of payinlg
them .Ier.
new
in use by the Bell System, and ro$alties. foes or , f her tri, Ute exacted by a
alfthPnih it was licensed unlPder (],f000 .... .TIOnop]lv as a reward for having paid
patents ownedi by others.
ii, uldtanle set-h researleh anull paltent tosts as
Nor did ithe tge to expand. iriaitifVrted in patroniis of the telephone induisitry.
the early years, decline as the 'I/OlOpOly 1[he conduteng of a pJirvd prolit ,On/opoly
further intrnched itself. Through its pi/Iulcly
stbsidiiedl research activities, the A. T. X% lth hav'ing hound tll Its tiew monopoly at
apparently affects mn'rs minnd,. Not satisfied
& T. ,sei'rerd IL trategi, patent poition the loth ends[, the licenisP coftrar't further relii
iced that aIdditiona1l r renewal parts should
fiell of sei.. I..l.ltioII-pictures. T[. exploit tis
posiitiii the Electrical Besearch P roducts , bIe ot.aied frr..n E. It. ,'. , fit prices E. R.
Inc. (fi IL. . 1.) was or'anized in 19g as a P'. I. might establish fromh time to time, and
subsidliary of Western Electric. The infian that II It. 1'. L., itself, ni ight letermine the
i'orpl~tati was immediately endowed with Teeh for additional or reltWi] paris. The exhihitor
r oiced i any .on plain t concerning
the Itonop.listie hnracteristies of its vet -ran
a...e. 1o r The timeworn license ugreenelt the high prrce, of pIiatt aIid reqairs That
miethod was again used to bind those hired thee ,oiplaiits were r easonable was ad
into roing business with the new prodigy. mitted by E. R. P. I* in it, intri-'>rgnrzation
[Ifter such
is. recor ig Igtaemen anl Irp'I¢hriring
equipenc tnanufaetured hy Wes-
need to be
corresjioiiittte. ltat in mttpIy there is no
reasonablde
This inidi.lgenet. of the lust for profits was
acc'¢ri[IIrTl by the ever-present shadow.
F]ar that something would reduce the profit
flow, For OUt of the shadows there was emerging
the Radio Corporation of America (R.
C, A.) to challenge the A. T. & To', new io
mInioin Ill charge of the Bell System's sound
motion picture activities was 4. E, Otterson.
In a entniorandum to A. T. & T. Vice President
flloom, dated April 29, 1927, Otterson saul
"In the talking motion-pieture field, they
IR. C( A. arc competing very actively with
us at prstt as you know,. to revelop an
affiliation with thie large motion-picture piro
ueers na.d comIpetition i.e tween Iu will doubtless
ultima tely result in a situation highly
f/I'orablo to the
itortonrttre i teree, .. alld
.ppiosr'rl to our ownI This is an extensive and
highlyi pofitable field and it is qtte worth
our while to go ii lrng way toward nsikiiig it
practically an .eldtairs field. I believe that we
could justify, front a conmmral staildpoinht,
paying a large price for the Ibquidatioi . I he
Radi. CorporaPti for o this purpose alone.'
Th, I. C. A. was n pI . h vIer. Nor wa,
A. T. & T', might invincible against IR C. A.
talent. JII spite oIf ohcupying the fiehld ir4, anid
ii spite of the , rtu'ally ur irited financial
reotel .... It A. T. & T.'? eoi anttL A. T. & T.
waved its mnaick wand and Iew ,oporCl.
ties sprang into existence to servo or die for
, R. P1. Amont them were Exiteiiirs DIliance
Ciirprrtiu Eastern Service St ..diii,
fnc, Gelert'] Service Studios., Inc., and E. IR
P. 1. Picture (onsultarts, Inc., and a conflsinig
ii uihlr of others. These .. lsht,,li es
operated aleit the flak,. developing new
business. protcting against co.itpetlionl,
fillt teg pro ter licensees. etc.
In l92l F, It, . L. loaned $1a.00(h000 t,
1hF. .... ,Pi, irtieres to W he used in PItchasing
it chaim (if t]teatrei. E. It. P. I, htrow"
d the $5.5t.101I,(I100 from its parent, Wes
tern Electric, which n turn, on the sanWe
lay. borrowed $12.000,000 fromit, paitrent,
the A. T. & T. The A. 'P. & T. was conerned
I ha it, growhg riterests in the motionpicture
tdiList y remain secrett T'I ghost
affain. 'lT' A. T, & T'. came Ott (f the mrnaket
crash of 1929 th a new surprise phokage---
eointIre thr.u.l. its assorteri siisidiari .s, of
Fox .*ihnis Corporaton, i-ox Theatres Ceriporatlon,.
Loe', Inc.. and 3Mtro-Goldwd n
I'ieturus,
The A. T. & '. e wenital B dive ted itself of
,ihese dile, I hhrl it ]035, just after the
rmtnblishtnrtt of the Federal ConmIeIcatIllns