The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1910-03-05
Commission Nay Be Named for
the Purpose of Devising
Proper Regulations.
AMATEURS CAUSE TROUBLES
Wealth Seems Indispensable Requisite
for American Ambassador-stat
Patronage Disputes Are An
noying the President.

on.-Representative Rob-
erts OF Massachusetts is trying to fix
upon method by which the present
troubles of the wireless telegraph op-
orators may be prevented. Mr.. Rob
erts suggests that the president be
empowered to name a board which
snail include men Of the government
service and representatives of the
commercial companies, and that this
board shall proceed to make regula-
tons for control of wireless telegraph
operators and submit the regulations
to the house to be enacted into law.
Trouble Caused by Amateurs.
A great part Of the trouble In the
transmission Of wireless telegraph
messages, even the messages Of the
most vital Importance, is said In a re-
cent word on the subject, ito be due
to INSCRIPTIONS amateurs who insist
on working their private stations at
all hours. regardless Of the needs or
the interests of endangered humanity.
As a case In point, the Bremen, car
rying the usual large passenger list,
was approaching the New England
coast during the short time last year
that the Nantucket Shoals lightship
was out Of commission. The steamer
was calling to the lightship for iafor-
nation as to weather conditions and
location. and her captain was much
shocked and surprised to find that the
reckoning as computed by the ships
navigator was apparently in error.
Information that was untrue also
was given regarding the weather con-
ditfons. On reaching New York the
matter was looked into and It was
discovered that the ligatship had been
sunk q week prior to the time that
the messages were sent, and that the
answer made to the Bremen was sent
BY irresponsible and experimenting
amateurs. Had not the captain Of the
steamship been over-confident Of his
location he might have changed his
course az q result Of the messages
and wrecked his ship and lost its hu-
man freight"
Ocean Steamers Also Blamed.
Sometimes It Is an ocean steamer
that II to be blamed for interference
with wireless telegraph messages. Not
long ago schooner was ashore some
miles out of New York harbor and the
crew was In dire danger. An effort
was made by wireless to locate the
revenue cutters In New York. but be-
cause Of the attitude of the wireless
operator on the ocean steamer Der.
mudian. 1t was not possible to reach
the revenue cutters direct. and the |
messages had to be relayed causing a
delay of several hours. Afterward II
developed that the Bermudian merely
wished to report her location and the |
operator could have waited q short |
time just as well as not.
The great trouble ordinarily IN
caused BY the use of high powered |
stations by amateurs and II seems
that there II no means Of preventing |
the fndiscrfminate use of the wireless |
even II 1t interferes with necessitous |
messages and sometimes puts human
lie In jeopardy. In every large city
there are many of these stations and |
1t Is said that In the city Of Boston
alone there are $50 In operation.
Ambassador Must Be Rich.
President Taft probably puts in
about one hour out of every "a trying
to determine on some man who has |
the qualifications to make a good am
bassador to Great Britain and who
also has money enough to allow him
to keep up" the position of the chief
representative to the great
foreign power.
II Is known to the president, of
course. that there are many men In
United States who would make ad-
mfrable ones have little or no money.
The president said in a speech recent
ly that he thought it was little less
than a shame that it was impossible
for any Americans except millionaires
to occupy the most important diplo-
matte posts.
Some months ago Mr.. Taft offered
the American embassy In Great Brit
ain to Dr. Charles w. Elliott, former
president OF Harvard college, q man
OF great learning and transcendant
ability. DIR. Elliott had to decline the
post. He did not have money enough
to live up to the social station in life
which 1t seems necessary that our
chief representative at the Court of
St. James ought to occupy. There are
other reasons, however, in addition to
that of the lack Of wealth which pre-
vented the Harvard scholar from &C.
cepting the presidents offer
Salary RIdiculousiy Inadequate.
The pay of the ambassador to Great
Britain is 1880 a year. not quite
enough money to pay his house rent
IN case he attempts to do as his pre-
lecessors have done In the way of en-
pertaining socially, and in the way of
giving America a proper building