The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1912-12-18
UNCLE SAM NOW 7
WIRELESS BOSS
A Thousand Ships Are Under
His Regulation
SYSTEM CLOSELY GUARDED.

Rigid Rules to Keep Government Com
munieation Uninterrupted For First
Fifteen Minutes of Each Hour and
Penalty Fixed For "Buttine In" and
False Distress Signals.
Wireless telegraph operation passed
absolutely into the control of the gov
eminent on Friday, Dec. 13. This will
not make such n radical difference to
ordinary wireless operators, but it will
keep the whole business under govern
ment control and inspection and will
prevent any private or commercial OPP
orators who think they are funny from
'butting in" and mixing up important
messages and possibly interfering with
a distress call from a vessel at $ or
an answer to such a call from a legit-
innate shore station.
The necessity for some sort OF au-
t~horitative supervision over wireless
has been recognized ever since stations
became numerous and talk of govern
merit supervision has been rife for sew
eral years.
The Titanic disaster emphasized this
necessity, and there were several bills
on the subject introduced in congress.
The London international conference
last June, to which the United States
was one of the signatories, fixed the
status of the stations doing an inter
national business, and congress passed
a set of regulations covering domestic
end interstate stations.
The entire country is divided into
nine districts, with headquarters at
Boston, New York, San Francisco. Sc
attic, Cleveland, Chicago, Baltimore,
Savannah and New Orleans. Govern
ment inspectors for each district are
required to visit the shore stations and
the ships to report on the equipment
and to look out for violations of the
new regulations. Under the new rules
some of the stations on the south At
lantic coast, on the Pacific coast and
at the Alaska naval stations. where no
commercial stations exist, will be open
for general business.
Reason For Regulation.
The enforcement of the photographic
act has been placed in the hands of
the secretary of commerce and labor.
IL Is realized that most wireless Oh
orators are not likely to willingly in
terfere with important messages, but
the idea of the regulations is to fix IL
so that the less considerable sort can
not interfere or IL they do will be SUBJ
Ject to severe penalties.
The violation of the principal repuIa.
tions is made a misdemeanor punish
able with a fine up to $500 or impris-
onment up to one year..
The regulations fix the wave lengths
OF the licensed stations and provide
that they shall at all times be i'm charge
OF a licensed operator. There are reg
ular license forms both for stations
and for operators personally.
To insure the undisturbed use of the
air for government stations the outside
have to keep OUT for the first
fifteen minutes of each hour, during
which time the government stations
a send without interference.
All licensed short stations also are
required TO listen for not less than two
minutes at intervals Of not less than
fifteen minutes to catch any distress
signals that may be going.
Sending the Distress SiunaI
In case a distress signal is sent from
any vessel then all stations except that
to which the call is addressed must
Keep out till all business i'm connection
with the distress call is finished.
Any station sending out a fraudulent
call is guilty Of a INSIDE
meanor and is liable to a fine of 81. 900
and perhaps au additional two years
imprisonment. Divulging a message TO
others than the proper person entails
a line of $3.50, three months In prison.
or both.
There are about 1000 ships under
government regulation that are
compelled to carry wireless, and proyi-
sion Is made for an auxiliary engine to
furnish power TO the ships radio appa-
ratus In case OF accident to the regu-
lar machinery of the vessel.
Provision has been made for ships
within interference distance of a gov
eminent shore station to operate with
reduced electrical power. except In case
OF distress. when they can use any
power or any wave length.
Licenses have been granted by the
department Of and labor so
Tar for about 300 operators and ten
shore stations. Ii is expected that this