Evening star., 1926-08-22

The chaos of the air which was pre-
dicted in some radio circles when the
last session of Congress adjourned
without passing a radio control Dill
has not yet developed, according TO
Secretary of Commerce Hoover. Be
fore leaving Washington on his pres
ent Western tour Secretary Hoover
displayed some Willingness to com
promise with Senator Dill of Wash
ington on the question OF ways ana
means for radio control, and in so
doing brought out the fact that there
had not been any such wild scramble
of wave jumping as was predicted
when radio control by the Department
of Commerce ended.
Mr.. Hoover made 1t clear that he
still wants radio control in the hands
of the Department of Commerce, but
intimated that a compromise might
be worked out with the. bill submitted
by Senator Dill and passed by the
Senate, which would place radio con
troll In the hands of an Independent
commission. The compromise i'm
piled in Mr. Hoover's statement be
fore he left Washington would retain
administrative control in the Depart
ment of Commerce, but also would
have a commission Of some sort to
allot wave lengths and assign station
rights to broadcasters. Such a com
mission probably would have some
thing akin to judicial powers in max
ing allotments and hearing the claims
of rival broadcasters.
Until Congress acts on the question
of radio control, the country will con-
tinue as a present. with every broad
casting station merely on it's honor to
abide by it's agreement and announce
ments as to wave lengths used.
So far this has not worked badly,
although Mr.. Hoover said that, of
course. nobody can tell how long it
will work AS matter of fact, there
was a little wave jumping by a few
stations Immediately after the opin-
ion of Attorney General Sargent was
announced to the effect that Com
merce Department permits were not
legally binding. Right away few
stations shifted wave lengths, but
most Of these have voluntarily gone
back to their old frequencies. and
things are running along about as
usual.
Bureau of Standards Aids.
The United States Bureau of Stand
afuS mas H6lD6u W hteP
within sound limits by its work in
Frequency measurements and expert
menAs in equipment designed to sta
bilize frequency. This has held the
interest Of all broadcasting stations,
and most of them have striven for
stabilized frequency and place on
the Bureau of Standards honor roll.
The bureau recently gave out new
list Of 81 stations of constant IRE
quency, in addition to the old list car
. ried since 1923. The bureau is ad'
vising stations about the installation
and use of devices such as the plezn
oscillator and the frequency Indicator
and thus helping them to stabilize
their freuuencV This sort of work
has helped to keep the stations III
line with the Department or Com
melce despite the fact that tor some
months they have known that no lesa'
hold was exercised over DrOadcastins
bx the Government.
The Department of Commerce con
tinues TO license broadca sting stations
but allows them whatever wave lensth
they ask and merely carries along the
licensing plan as means or keeping
track of Developments until there
shall be some legal regulation. Mos'
station operators are glad to go along
with this voluntary sort of control. as
they want to be in the good graces OF
the Government if and when legal
control Is assumed.
An early effort to get together on
regulatory bill was forecast by Mf
Hoover in discussing the present
state of radio control and the pendlne
bills in Congress. The Dill bill passed
the Senate last Spring, and a Dill ny
Representative White of Maine passed
the House of Representatives. Inc
White bill left the ALLEGATION OF sta
tions and wave lengths entirely 10
the Secretary of Commerce, while the
Dill measure set up an independent
non, partisan commission of five mem
bers to handle this question and others
arising under Government radlo con
troll.
At the time these bills went to con
ference between House and Senate
it was reported that neither body
would withdraw its plan. The House
would insist that Mr.. Hoover have
complete control of radio laws and
the Senate would insist that an 1nde
pendent commission have control.
The suggestion that a compromise
was possible. coming from Secretary
Hoover himself, recalled also the fact
that the House and Senate conferees
are TO meet in Washington next No
vember. and not wait until Congress
| convenes in December. Presumably
| IL the administration is willing Il
have a compromise worked out, the