Long lines
Before its incorporation into Bell, Western Electric had for a number of years been interested in the sale and manufacture of communication equipment abroad. Its overseas business continued after the merger and branches of Western Electric existed throughout the world by 1918. At that time, its foreign interests were so extensive that it was considered desirable to concentrate them into a new subsidiary, the International Western Electric Company. This organisation grew rapidly. At the same time a huge expansion of the telephone network in the USA was taking place and the Bell management felt that it would be commercially desirable to avoid any possibility that these foreign activities would interfere with the domestic (US) business. Hence, in 1925, the International Western Electric Company was sold to the International Telephone and Telegraph Company (IT&T) and its name changed to International Standard Electric Corporation (ISEC). Neither of these companies had any further corporate connection with the Bell system. When Blumlein applied in 1924 to join the International Western Electric Company the head of the European Department was R.A. Mack. He had received details of Blumlein's ability from Professor Mallet. At IWE, Blumlein soon met J.B. Kaye. Among their disparate tasks Kaye and Blumlein tested the first samples of permalloy tape.On another occasion the pair tested one of the first low-voltage cathode ray tubes to incorporate a Wehnelt cathode.After joining Collard's group, Blumlein was very much concerned with the investigation and prediction of noise interference in telephone lines, caused by the power lines and the overhead conductors of electric railways, since in some European countries, particularly in Switzerland, the telephone cables were laid alongside or were parallel to the power lines.
Long lines, Page 1 of 2
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