New-York tribune., 1922-07-09
British Radio
Held Up by
Squabbling
Manufacturers Unable to
Agree Upon Mutual Pol
icy for Erection and Oper-
alton of BrOadcasiSiations
Receiving Sets Licensed
Government Waits Decision
of Radio Companies to
Form Development Policy
By Ware B. Wells

LONDON, June 90 England's en-
trance into tho radio era is postponed
indefinitely, due 10 the failure Of the
firms manufacturing receiving sets to
agree upon the broadeasting scheme
Tho British radio amateur. in increas-
ing numbers. Is all set to listen in, but
for the time being there is precious
little for him to listen in on. The
British government. having reeanted
its earlier policy Of indifference, now
10 eager TO give every possible assist
anee to the nationwide development OF
radio. But everything Is deadlocked
By the inability Of the companies In
terested to come TO terms among them
selves.
Postmaster General Kellnway ex-
planned the position Friday in intro
ducing in the House Of Commons the
wireless telegraphy and signaling
bill. lie laid stress on the need for
some sort Of control Of wireless teleg-
raphy and telephony, but he was quick
TO assure the House that there was no
intention Of hampering inventive gen
ius. The bill, he pointed out, did not
propose in any way TO withdraw from
the public the advantages Of wireless
communication. On the contrary, the
effect would be, by insuring It's proper
use, TO assist its development. The
| bill. he added, left full scope 20 in
yentiye genius by allowing the cree
tion Of experimental stations in proper
hands.
Ten Thousand Stations
At present some $500 receiving
/ licenses had been issued and 400
/ Licenses for transmission, the Postmas-
/ ter General said. Permission was read
/ ily given for receiving stations, and
he looked forward TO a very rapid in
crease in the number OF applications
| for receiving licenses. The greatest
difficulty arose in the transmission.
and il was the unregulated use OF
Z licenses for transmission that had led
10 the chaos In the United States 20
remedy which the United States gov
eminent was making very drastic pro-
posals, he said.
While this was the attitude Of the
government, the Postmaster General
regretted 20 say that the conditions
under which broadcasting would he
worked had not yet been decided. IL
was never contemplated that II should
be done by the postofice itself; its
part was that Of securing the freest
possible play for the ingenuity and in
ventiveness OF all concerned. He added
that two or three months ago. when
the question became one Of real prao-
/ tical importance, he called together all
the firms who had shown Themselves
I interested in broadcastinR and asked
them 20 come 10 an agreement among
themselves as 20 the conditions under
which they thought the practice Of this
new science should operate. So far,
/ he said. he had not received any pro-
posal but he hoped agreement would
I be reached.
Firms Unable TO Agree
In radio circles here, however. the
/ Postmaster Generals faint optimism
as 20 the prospects Of agreement IS not
/ generally shared. Two or three meet
ings already have been held OF repre-
/ sentatives OF the twenty-three firms
who met him n month ago and we're
asked by him 10 formulate n scheme.
/ So far, il is understood here, they have
not been able 10 agree even upon the
/ fundamental principles of broadcast
/ ing. The question was debated as 20
] tyne or types OF instrument for re-
1 ceiving TO be manufactured or sold IN
| the United Kingdom, but on this the
representatives present could come 10
no collective decision.
The position at the moment seems
10 be one Of complete stagnation. Ap-
parently nothing will be done until the
| interests involved are in accord, and
there seems little prospect OF that
within the next few weeks az an
events. The chief, IL not the only, dill
fculty. il appears, is the financial one
/ The firms manufacturing the apparatus
cannot see how they are 70 recoup
| themselves for the capital outlay upon
the broadcasting plant and the expense
| OF maintenance.
Questions Of precedence among the
various concerns might be got over, By
/ the official permission Tor more wa"
the eight transmitting stations az pres
ent allowed. An authority has stAtc9
/ that twenty or more stations Wouiu
not be impossible; but that cinegIty
has not yet seriously arisen. ne
/ Postmaster Generals position is that
he cannot move until the broadcastihg
concerns make their rccommendatioh,'
| but n "a understood that he still aa.
here's 70 his decision that there must