Evening star., 1924-10-05

Y 1TH the biggest national
NJ radio conference ever held
wv anywhere in the world
opening here tomorrow, 1t
Is an appropriate time to
consider William d. Terrell. who for
more than l3 years has headed-up all
Of Uncle Sans regulation and con-
troll of radio comm unication.
Herbert Hoover has been called
the radio traffic cop If he is the
figure representing the Federal au-
thority In the air and the efforts of
Government to keep the aerial lines
OF communication open for service,
then Mr.. Terrell must be considered
as liaison officer and chief co-ordi-
nator, the court of appeals and gem
eral Mr.. Fix-it for the many and
varied interests that must be recon-
qiled and brought into cooperation
so that the radio traffic cop may
guide aerial messages with real au
thority.
AS in every other branch of the
Government, all authority comes up
from the people, and Mr.. Terrell has
been amazingly successful in getting
100 per cent cooperation for conSci
encious service in the interests of the
public. from the varied and often
times antagonistic groups particu
larly interested in radio communica-
ton. 1t is safe to say that no other
law enforcing service has so many
divense interests and so many peo
pie affected with so few violations
of the law and still fewer penalties
imposed.
Birj'S-Eye View Of Job.
Let US take d bird's-eye view of
his job: lie directs all the work of
r.,,ii nf ha n
Naviga tion, Department of Commerce,
which was organized on July l, 1911,
with two inspectors. one of whom
(Mr. TerrelD was assigned to the At
lantic Coast and the other to the Pa
cific Coast The service has grown
wonderfully, ST. that now ii is di-
vided into nine districts with 60 en-
ployes in the field force and II in the
Washington office.
Nil Tori ellis title is chief super
visol of radio" He entered the serv-
ice when it was organized in 1911, and
has been in charge of the division
since Maron !, 1915, when he was
transferred from New York. where
his headquarters had been as Atlantic
Coast InSpoct He has been mem
Der of the Institute of Radio Engi-
neers since 1912, soon after its or
SaniZati ton.
inspection and licensing of 1904
commercial and private radio trans
mittiRE stations in the United States,
Alaska. Hawaii and Porto Rico and
2,I41 ship stations. and the eXamina-
ton and licensing of all the operators
employed in these stations. In addi-
ton 10 this all foreign vessels enter
ing our ports with 80 or more persons
on board must be inspected.
American and foreign ships clearing
from United States ports were in
spected by MIR. Terrells force. Last
year the inspection force visited 355
different cities in the United States.
OF course. the broadcasting service
is the one particular branch of radio
communication in which the public
generally 3 most interested. This
service was established in the Fall
of 1921. and there are now 342 broad
casting stations-at least one in every
State in the Union and in some States
many stations, as well as in Alaska,
Hawaii and Porto Rico. This service
features all kinds of entertainer Mt
musical. educational, sermons, big
news events like a national political
convention. world championship
base ball game, etc; crop. weather.
live stock and other reports of value
10 agricultural INTERESTS. anu III ldtt,
whatever service the public is most
interested in.
Work Full Of Problems.
There are many complications and
problems in the work that Mr.. Terrell
is directing SO that the people may
have orderly radio service that the
public knows little or nothing about
In licensing a land station it is neccs-
Sary to assign wave length which