The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-05-31
BOY ENLFGHTENS
CRAVE SENATORS

A late Washington telegram con-
;ains the following account of the an
pearance of lad in his teens be-
fore an august committee of the Sc
nate and holding argument with the
solons like the little man that ne
was:
For The first time in the memory OF
man a boy in short trousers was lis
tened to with attention today by a
committee of the United States Sc
nate.
w. e. d. Stokes, Jr., of New Yor,
president of the Junior Wireless club
OF America, Limited, was the youthful
speaker, and his mission was to op-
pose certain features of the Depew
bill, providing for the government re-
gulation of wireless telegraphy. Mas
ter Stokes plunged into his argument
in true legislative style, and despite
the smiles of the committee, soon hail
the members tangled up in the intri-
'cacies of radioactivities.
Master Stokes, who is ID years old,
and ~ short of stature that he showed
less than half his body above the Ia
BILE, declared that he held no brief
for anybody, except the organization
of boy amateur wireless telegraphers.
He told the committee mis- organizs-
ton favored a bill which provided a
nominal license, revokable for "mal-
practice" The language he used in
stating his position was that of a
grown man, which, contrasted with his
size and boyish voice, kept the COM
mittee laughing covertly.
Finally Master Stokes stated his
main objections to the bill, which were
seven in number, as follows:
He said the bill proposed a discri-
mination against amateur wireless te-
Ilegraphers in favor of commercial
companies, which, he said, were most
ly stock-jobbing concerns or affiliated
with trust.
He said the bill was impracticable in
many features, and that it was ambi-
guous, making it possible for further
determinations against amateurs.
He urged that it's provisions we're
unjust to manufacturers engaged in
the production of amateur wireless
outfits.
That the Dill would stihe the inven-
tive genius and ambition of American
boys was one of his chief contentious.
He added that it would require from
1000 to 5000 wireless operators, draw
ing 5000 a month each, to carry out
the full provisions of the bill.
Incidentally the young orator had
much to say about the practical work
ing of wireless, telegraphy. He said
the United States was far behind all
foreign Powers in its system, and ad-
vised the Government to establish a
standard wave-lenNS OF its own and
get.a code which, combined, he said
nobody could read. He said the com
mercial companies had never recover
ed from the fact that it was a Maine
boy amateur who had first picked vi
the battleship feet on it's return from
it's roun0 the world cruise. He de-
clared that one station was enough
to transact the wireless business from
New York City but four had been es-
tablished for stock jobbing purposes
and nine kinds of stock were now or
sale by one company alone.
Then Master Stokes turned to pro
phecy. He said in ten years it woulJ
be possible for persons on land tC
communicate with their homes by
wireless.
IF man breaks down in his au.
tomobile twenty-five miles from
home" he said, "all he will have e
to do is to take out his instruments
and call up his butler and tell him he
will be home for dinner"
In conclusion he told the committee
JhaC lhere were from zoiVOO 10 fv'VV'
boys in the United States already in
terested in wireless telegraphy
which he and his organization were
willing to organize to co-operote will
the Government in any fair under
taking.
Let the Government establish It's
, wave-length and we Will take an oatl
10 kann off the nrass and helm th