The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-12-23

the hours during which such expert
ments can be conducted.
There can he no objection to the
Government taking what it will in
time Of war or other great national
emergency. Radio, like every other
industry, must bow to the nations
need. But there is every objection to
sintIing out the radio communication
industry for practical confiscation, as
would result from any provision that
denies any compensation to station
closed down, but not operated by the
government, and which limits the
compensation for any radio station
commandeered and operated by the
government, to a mere return upon
the physical value of the property, ig-
noring loss of business, accumulated
goodwill and other factors that go to
make up the value of a property.
Nor is this the only tendency to-
wards confiscation noticeable in pro-
jected radio legislation. There is the
provision now under consideration
that a broadcasting station, If sold,
may not be sold for more than the
actual cost Of the apparatus The
good will accumulated by years of
faithful service to the public is to
mean nothing. The rewards of initia-
tive and enterprise are to be ignored.
The right of the. owner of q, broadcast
ing, station to make a contract in his
own interest is to be destroyed.
Such legislation would establish
precedent as destructive to industry
in general as to radio in particular.
And as if this were not enough, there
is the provision debarring from a IL
cense to broadcast any person, firm or
corporation found guilty by any, even
a minor, Federal court of attempting
to ''monopolize" radio communication,
Of unfair methods Of competition and
other infractions. This practically vi
tiates the right of appeal, a right
guaranteed constitutionally to every
citizen in the United States, and
might not only jeopardize investments
of millions of dollars, but also deprive
the public of much needed commune
cation facilities through some unin-
tentiona, violation of minor trade
legislation or statnte.
Every outstanding act of initiative
or enterprise in the broadcasting field
has been made the excuse for Charges
Of attempted monopoly of the air.
Superpower, it has been said, was a
sinister plan to monopolize the air.
Chain broadcasting has been termed
another attempt to accomplish the
same purpose. And yet where should
we be today without these two sys-
TENS of broadcasting?
Such law would paralyze and make
mute great broadcasting stations by
the non-renewal of license, even
though a Federal court decision was
later reversed and the alleged act Of
guilt entirely denied by a higher court.
Some of our legislators in Congress
evidently believe that a ponderous
and unwieldy permanent radio COM
mission as proposed in pending radio
legislation would prove an immediate
boon to the development of the art
and of the industry and promote the
best interests Of the public
FEDERAL Commission unwieIdy
There is no form of administrative
agency which so efficiently lends it
self to the evasion and sidestepping
of responsibility and finality as the
Board or Commission. Behind its col
Iective action the one or two strong
members who invariably dominate it
can hide their individual responsible
ties Inevitably slow, ponderous and
expensive, its decisions are always
compromises, never black or white,
always duh gray.
Please do not understand from what
have said on the subject of legisla-
ton that would seek to exempt ra-
dio communication or the radio Indus
try from proper governmental regula-
ton. Not at all. believe in fair and
wise regulation Of utilities and trade
practices To such regulation we Of
fer no objection. The test, however,
of such regulation is that it be in the
interest of the public. Regulation
which would retard or throttle the
continued and almost phenomenal de-
velopment of radio would not be in
the interest Of the public. Further
more, 1t would menace the greatest
fundamentally for the dissemination
Of education, news and entertainment
since the invention of the printing
press,
Not all the proposed radio Iegisla-
ton now pending is, in my opinion,
destructive. Alternative measures to
several OF those which have charac-
terized as Objectionable are available
in the form of bills also now pending
in Congress which provide, for in
stance, among other things, for five
year terms for station licenses, for
what they term "5ust compensation"
for use Of privately owned stations
:, ~ v,.s,x,f