The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-01-19
Proposed Legislation For Control
Of Radio Stations Would Scrap
Plant Officials Claim
MUTUAL MANAGER WILL GO a.
TO CAPITAL TO FIGHT BILL
Chamber Of Commerce Sends VI
gorous Protest Against Meas
ure To Delegate kuhio

L ha'lSEN" ~ lut HiNtu
States senate which will, if it becomes
law, practically put out Of business
the interisland wireless system Of the
Mutual Telephone Company and con.
tIol commercial communication be-.
tween the islands of the Territory, yes,
terday aroused the members of the
chamber of commerce 10 take immedi,
ate action of protest TO Washington.
So serious is the proposed legislation
to the Mutual Telephone Company that
John A. Balch, treasurer and superin-
| tendent of the wireless department of
the company, left Tuesday ON the Will
helmina for Washington to take up per,
sonnlly with congressman the details of
the bill. I..-,.
The chamber of commerce adopted a
resolution asking Delegate Kuhio to
have action on the bill postponed until
full hearing could be given the protest
from this Territory.
Bill Shocks City ~
The situation that took local bust.
ness men and the officials Of the tele.
phone company by surprise was the
fact that no one knew of the latent
possibilities Of harm 10 the Hawaiian
Islands that we're contained 10 the bill.
until copies of II were received here By
mail Monday. The committee hearing
on the bill takes place in Washington
today, and II is feared that, even now,
, the quick action Of the chamber Of
commerce may fail of it's purpose TO
delay recommendation of the bin until
local interests are given chance to he
heard. .sE,# %. .L.-r
A cable was sent by the chamber
Yesterday 10 the Delegate, asking him
to present the situation to the com.
mittee. Wireless messages were also
sent to the Hilo, Kauai and Maui
chambers of commerce asking them TO
seed similar cable messages to Kuhio
at once. II. #.rl. j.. ~. ..a.t.E a
The bill was introduced in the sen
ate December 10 last, but telegraph
news of its contents failed TO reveal
the full contents. The proposed law,
introduced by Senator Fletcher, il
entitled ga bin 60 regulate radio
Communication The joker that hits
the local inter.island wireless system
80 hard Is the fact that ii is included
under the general term of coastal sta.
tions. M ...,'', i....,- -. ." ......
Would HIT Mutual -,. ..... ...
The author Of the bill, il is point,
ed out, had in mind legislation for
commercial wireless system along the
coast of the mainland and classified
radio stations only with these stations
in mind. The bill however, should II
become law, would be Immediately ap.
plicable to the interisland wireless
system Of the Hawaiian Islands. The
law is aimed to protect the govern.
ment and army and navy wireless
systems by control of commercial
wireless communication, and what are
dra ttic provisions for regulation of
the mainland "coastal'' wireless
plants, become confscatory when APP
piled to the wireless systems Of the
hawaiian Islands. Here are some of
the objections TO the bill pointed out
by officials of the Mutual Telephone
Company: .-E
The bill proposes radio stations
| shall have "lOgarithmic decrement
not greater than the limits which may
be fixed by the department of com
merce." This abOlishes of the deere
ment of 20 authorized by the present
law and TO comply with which the pre-.
sent equipment of the Mutual com
pany was built. In all probability,
the company will be forced TO junk
its present equipment it il pointed
out.
May Make Plant Junk
| Another provision of the bill that
company officials say will practically
amount 10 their having to junk their
entire equipment is one that fixes a
wave length for which the company 5
stations are not equipped, II will mean
that the Mutual will have to equip all
stations with two or more masts to Sc.
cure the required wave length.
The most drastic provision of the bill
that affects the Mutual company's wire.
less system is one that prescribes that
| where government and commercial or
coastal stations" interfere, the time
! shall be divided between the two equal
! ly, each taking every alternate hour to
send messages. The company points
ont that under the present arrangement
in the Islandsthe government uses the
first fifteen minutes of every hour and
the commercial companies use the fol.
lowing ,forty-five minutes of each hour.
pIt would be- impossible for the Mutual
company 10 handle its ordinary bust,
ness under the proposed time arrange
ment, say company officials.
---S&S