The Washington times., 1924-05-19
ACTMENT Of
WHITE RADIO
-
BILL SEEN
Proponents Of Legislation Ex-
pect Measure to Be Passed
This Session

bright, in the opinion of proponents
Of such legislation.
After months of hard work, in
which the best features Of a half
score Of House and Senate bills
were incorporated, the House Com
mittee on the Merchant Marine and
Fisheries has reported to the House
a committee bill which, it is ex-
pected, will fully cover the present
field and will provide basic legisla-
ton under which the great radio
industry may flourish.
The committee measure Is known
as the White bill. in honor of Con-
gresham wallace H. White, jr. of
Maine, author Of the House bill taken
as the basis for the measure. The
bill, however, includes the features
Of a Senate bill Of slightly more i'm.
tied scope.
1t is the. intention Of Congressman
William S.4Greene of Massachusetts,
chairman of the Merchant Marine
and Fisheries Committee, to request
from the powerful House Rules Com
mittee special rule which will
make it in order for the House to
consider the radio bill out of regular
order and under limited debate which
will expedite action on the measure.
In view Of the pressing need for the
legislation, it is anticipated that the
rules committee will grant the rule.
Bill Passage Seen.
II this rule can be secured pro.
ponents of the bill are confident
that the bill will pass by a com.
Portable majority. The measure
will then go to conference for
Senate action on the additions to
the bill made by the House.
The House committee bill Is the
only one of six radio bills intro
duced during the present session
which is likely to receive serious
consideration during the present
Congress. Features Of some of the
other bills have been included in the
White bill.
The White bill was reported to
the House this week by the
Merchant Marine and Fisheries
committee with the recommendation
that the bill, as amended, be passed.
The action Of the committee was
unanimous. The bill utilities only
the enacting clause of the Senate
bill. All after the Senate enacting
clause was stricken out and the
committee draft Of the bill enacted.
In this manner the benefit Of the
Senate action already taken is not
lost and the bill can secure more
speedy action.
Before the Senate bill reached
the House the committee had held
exhaustive hearings on the White
bill. The committee was assisted
by experience with other radio bills
during recent Congresses. The
committee also was materially
assisted by a recent report upon the
radio industry made by the Federal
Trade Commission in response to-
resolution passed by the last
Congress. 49,. .-
: "Since the House acted on a radio
bill in the last Congress, there has
beean no substantial change in con-
ditio,ns affecting radio communica-
ton, the committee states In its
report.
Conditions Still Exists. 4
There has been development and
improvements in the art, but the con-
fusion in tIhe air still exists. All
interests andN witnesses still concur
in the opinion that order can be
brought from tfae presepG chaotic
conditions only tKsrougA7 enlarged
and strengthened governmental con.
troll over the Transmitting stations
Of the country and the Operators
therein, and there is consensus Of
judgment that the Secretary Of Com.
merce is the proper governmental
agency to deal with the situation!''
The White bill, in accordance
with these conclusions, gives all
necessary authority to the Secretary
Of Commerce. but precludes a DOS.
sible arbitrary and unjust exercise
Of powers by defining them and by
providing in proper cases for an
appeal to the Court Of Appeals of
the District Of Columbia.
The bill includes the major pro.
visions of the act Of August 10, 1912,
which was the first code governing
the use of radio and which the COM
mittee believes should furnish the
basis for new laws. The new bill
amends the code Of 1912 in several
respects. 1t provides for limitation
upon the life of licenses, restraints
the transfer OF licenses and provides
for revoking licenses for improper
conduct.
To Keep Ether Free.
The bill declares the ether within
the limits of the United States. it's
Territories and possessions to be
the "inalienable possession" of the
nation and asserts the. right Of
Congress to regulate it's use in
interstate and foreign commerce.
"It is imperative that indiscrin-
mate and unrestrained transmits
sion shall not be permitted and that
license shall be Issued only in those
cases in which some public inter.
est, necessity or convenience IL
thereby served" the committee de-
clares In its report in explanation
of this section.
The bill attempts to correct i'm.
proper restraint of competition
which Is designed to keen prices
high for radio equipment, especial.
ly for vacuum tubes.
"There has been general com.
plaint," the committee renorts
that certain companies engaged
in the manufacture Of vacuum
tubes and radio sets ind their
parts and in the sale thereof hive
been guilty of maintaining prices
at unreasonable levels, of improper
ly restricting the use Of instru.
ments and their parts by cornpeti-
tors and the public and of orher
practices prejudicial to the free de.
Veloprnent Of the art and to the
public interest.
"These ends have been obtained
! by various and devious means as.
serted by the companies TO be
legal, challenged as to their law
fitness by others, but felt by your
committee to be against public
policy, whatever the law may now