Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-02
BLOW TO INVENTORS
Bows View of Representa-
tive Roberts Bill.
LIMITING USE OF WIRELESS
Says Measure Would Throttle Ef-
forts to Solve Problems.
TRIES TUNING TRANSFORMER
Hopes to Perfect Instrument Which
Will Prevent Interrupting
Messages.
TRIES TUNING TRANSFORMER

The feeling OF antagonism exhibited by
many electrical investigators and in
ventors to the Roberts bin in Congress
restricting the use of wireless apparatus
to those holding government licenses has
found a strong advocate in Fred Pelham,
colored, fourteen years old, a pupil Of
the Armstrong Technical High School.
The fear that the bill if passed. would
put end to his Investigations aroused
Pelham and prompted him to write TO
The Star protesting against serious con-
sderation of the measure by Congress. as
he says it would throttle efforts
among American electricians in general to
solve problems in wireless biography. The
boy has constructed wireless receiving
apparatus and says he is doing his utmost
to design a tuning transformer which
will do away with interrupting messages
from outside stations. His greatest fear
is that further investigate toward per-
fecting his transformer will be prohibited
if Representative Roberts DILL becomes
law.
Representative Roberts doubtless has
no son who owns or wishes to own
wireless station of his own he says, "or
is Mr.. Roberts interested in any person
who owns one?
Standpoint of Amateur.
Probably he did not stop to realize the
good wireless is doing for American boy
investigators. He did, however, look upon
the dark side of the question from the
standpoint of an amateur. He found all
the testimony which would support his
view of the question and overlooked the
good points of the side taken by the
young investigators whose experiments
may help evolve a more perfect system.
IF it is desired to better the condition
surrounding the development of the art,
then it would be better for those legis-
lators who are really interested in adj
vancing it to appropriate sum sufficient
to investigate the entire subject before
seeking it's control. and perchance throttle
the art i'm It's infancy.
while my station cannot be counted of
commercial value. it has been useful to
me in testing my ability to design and
construct detectors for the wireless waves
and has demonstrated to me and others
the possibilities which will come from the
study and development Of the art.
My station has proved useful in giving
non-electrical people an idea of the work
ing Of wireless and has served to in
spire my student friends and classmates
and stimulate in each and every one OF
them a desire to more closely study the
wireless art-and who knows but what the
electrical world may have such another
incident that which gave to mec1an-
les the eccentric rod as attached to steam
engines-tne discovery of boy.
ut is automatically stated that the gov
eminent has been offered apparatus that
would DO away with the interference of
which Mr.. Roberts talks and which his
bill aims TO correct.
1T would also be wise. for the govern
ment to equip all its stations with the
latest apparatus, which il is claimed will
do away with the interference OF other
stations. and then the law would not be
needed"