Evening star., 1923-01-07

M babel of the air will be in
" large measure quieted,
and the traffic jam of the
ether will be directed along one-way
routes. Thus promptly does Congress
expect to bring at least partial order
out OF the present confusion much
confounded in this newest method of
communication.
1t is the intention of House Leader
Mondell to make the Kellogg White
radio control bill one of the four prin-
ctpal pieces of legislation to be passed
at this session of Congress following
the disposal OF the annual supply
bills, which will soon be out of the
way. The other three urgent meas
ures on the House program are the
Winslow bill for restoration of alien
property, the Green bill to do away
with tax-exempt securities and the
bill for registration of aliens recon-
mended by President Harding and
urged by the Secretary of Labor.
Need of Control Seen.
Probably the air will never be COM
pletely cleared for radio communica-
troll of this new science in the hands
Of the Secretary OF Commerce is ex-
pected to result in much improvement.
Hearings were held on this measure
last Tuesday and Wednesday. Every
one conceded that there must be
larger powers of regulation and ap-
prove the general plan OF the bill.
Suggested changes are mostly of
minor Importance.
Briefly. this measure gives Secre-
tary Hoover authority to put through
what was recommended by the techni-
cal committee and the full committee
of the radio conference held here sew
eral months ago. That includes es-
tablishment of between twenty and
thirty classes Of radio stations.
There are now more than $1,000
radio transmitting stations in the
United States. Nearly 1900 are
amateur stations. The second largest
group are the ship stations. The next
group in number are the broadcasting
stations, of which there are approx
mately $50. There are a number of
other stations, but they do not seri-
ously affect the problem.
Value Being Destroyed.
II is impossible to estimate with any
accuracy the number of persons listen
ing in on broadcasting stations. The
figures vary from i 1,500,0 900 to $780,
900. The service furnished by these
broadoasting stations is of supreme
Importance to this vast number of
listeners. But the value of 1t is sadly
impaired today. Representative Wal
lace H White, Jr., author of the con-
troll legislation, points out, because of
tho amount of interference arising
from the number OF stations--inter-
ference so great that 1t Is often diff
flcult for receivers to get any in
telligible sounds from the air.
Under existing law the established
regulating power is impotent to ade-
quately meet the situation confront
ing 1t. One of the prime purposes of
the pending legislation is to enlarge
the powers of the Secretary of Com
merce so that some degree of order
may be brought out of the existing
chaos. It is hoped TO accomplish this
by new and enlarged authority with
respect to the establishment OF sta
tlons, their classification, the assign
mont of wave lengths. the fixing OF
the time In which stations may oper-
ate, control over the external effects |
OF transmitting instruments, etc It |
IS proposed also to increase the bands |
of wave lengths available for this |
GLASS OF service Under the existing
law the amateurs have, practically |
speaking, the whole field up to 800 |
meters. Under the present law the |
wave lengths from 500 to 1900 meters |
arc reserved for the purposes of the |
Army and Navy. This leaves wave |
bands between 300 and 500 meters |
as the only ones now available for |
broadca sting service.
Waves for Military Uses.
The radio control bill aims to take
from the military branches of the
government the exclusive right to the
wave lengths between 500 and 1900 !