Evening star., 1926-06-04
LABOR TEST NEAR
ON i. S. AIR RULE
Chicago Federation's Chal.
Ienge May Become Historic
in Broadcasting.
ny FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

Chicago on Suday next. June 6,
will be the ethereal arena of the hrst
battle of the air-a contest to deter.
mine whether the United States Gov
ernment has the right to control radio
broadcasting. The right Is challenged
by the Chicago Federation of Labor.
1t has erected a powerful S1O0.OOo
broadcasting station, with which IL
win take the air regardless OF the
fact that it has not been licensed to
do so.
VIGIL, operating on wave length
491, will be the first station In the
United States to defy the Federal law
which confers upon the Department
of Commerce the exclusive privilege
of determining who shall use the air
for broadcasting.
Secretary Hoovers radio authori-
ties have not yet formulated a plan
for meeting the Chicago challenge.
They say they will not cross the
bridge till they come to it. The De.
partment of Commence for some time
has been aware of the Federation OF
I.abor's intention to put station
VIGIL in operation without license.
License Not Requested.
The Federation has never formally
made application for a license, put
when it indicated at Washington tnat
1t purposed taking the air. the De-
partment of Commence let 1t De
known that Chicago wave lengths
were already pre-empted.
VIGIL, nevertheless, is ready to
broadcast over the length of 491
meters now assigned to the American
Telephone and Telegraph Co.. the
Bell System), and its principal broad.
casting unit. station WEAF. New
York. The Labor station Will use
1000 watts Of power during the day
and 500 watts at night. 1t enters
the air with the sanction OF Mayor
Dever and the city council of Chicago.
The Chicago federation expects TO
have to carry it's cause to the United
States courts before WCFL's broad.
casting rights are definitely estab-
lished. One avenue open to 1t Is TO
seek to have Secretary Hoover sub
jected to a mandamus to give the fed-
Grafton it's license. The legal services
Of Frank P. Walsh. formerly well
known Washington attorney and coun'
sci for labor organizations. nave
already been retained by the Chicago
federation in anticipation Of contest
in the courts. Mr.. Walsh, in accept
ing the offer to represent the labor
organization, said, "It ought to be a
glorious fight, this effort of ours to
win free speech on the air" ..#
Hoover's Stand Defined.
The Department Of Commerce dis
inclination to grant VIGIL a license
is due to Secretary Hoover's policy of
preventing traffic jams" in the air.
chicago, like a good many other
metropolitan districts with many
broadcasting stations, is already clut-
tered UP with radio, causing CORE
spending and widespread inconven-
fence and irritation to the listening
world.
The Department of Commerce is lit
orally choked with applications for
more broadcasting stations in every
quarter of the country. There were
5S3 stations licensed for public broad
casting at the end of May and there
are 623 applications on file for new
stations. The rate at which the air
has become damned" with radio
traffic. is evidenced by the fact that
there were only % licensed broadcast
ing stations on January 1, 1922. To-
day, four and half years later, there
are nearly 20 times as many, and II
everybody who wants TO take the air
was licensed to do SO there would be
more than 40 times as many.
Copyright. 1867