Evening star., 1927-05-29
Rv 1T. Col w. JEFFERSON DAVIS,

at the International Radio Conference
| in Geneva.
VF the Babel Construction Co. had
given a little thought to the prob.
lem of the confusion of tongues.
and had arranged things to keep
everybody from talking at once.
they might have gone ahead with
their skyscraper.
At any rate. mans first notable ad
venture in getting away from the
earth went wrong because of too much
unregulated conversation. Pioneers In
legislative radio control are determined
that mans newer and even more spec
tacular invasion of the heavens shall
not suffer similar fate.
| The Second International Radio
Law Congress will convene at Geneva
tomorrow, under the patronage of the
Swiss, Italian and French govern
ments. While, thus. America does not
appear in the list of originators and
sponsors of the congress, our Govern
| ment is keenly and alertly interested
In the proceedings, as they VIII un-
! doubtedly have an important bearing
on questions which will be considered
at the Washington Radio Congress
next Fall.
For many years the problem of
policing, regimenting and apportion-
ing the air waves has become increas-
ingly urgent. Although legislators
thus for the first time enter the field
of what might be termed three di-
mensional legislation" they still are
bound by two-dimensional precedent.
and their task Is to evolve new legal
patterns. conforming to legal struc-
ture built without regard to the
possibility of tanning the ether.
America Deeply Interested.
The air commerce act Of 1926. the
radio control law passed this year
and the keen official and public inter-
est in the Geneva conference are in
disputable signs of Americas coming
of age" so far as aerial problems
involving both transportation and
communication-are concerned.
Economic necessities. as well as the
amazing technical and constructive
genius which has flowered in America
amount of far-sighted and constructive
work done in this field.
AS a member of the air law commit
tee of the American Bar Association,
it has been my privilege closely to OBJ.
serve the evolution of radio control
for several years. The association. in
sponsoring the radio control law, mas
done much to minimize inevitable con-
fusion and to clear the way for orderly
and equitable adjustment of problems
of radio broadcasting.
In fact. it was the steady and con-
tinuous efforts of the Bar Association,
from 1920 to 1925, which resulted In
the passage by Congress of the radio
control law of this year. These ef-
forts eliminated in the creation OF
oil, 1axxy
signed to radio, aeronautics and other
uses of the air. at the Denyer meet
ing of the association last july.
This committee, following It's policy
in regard to the development Of the
law of aeronautics, conceived 1t to be
it's function, before the passage of the
law, to advise with Congress regard
ing the law of radio control. Condi-
tions were then chaotic. President
Coolidge. in his annual message to
Congress, said:
due to the decisions of the courts,
the authority of the department under
the law of 1912 has broken down;
many more stations have been oper-
ating than can be accommodated
within the limited number of wave
lengths available; further stations are
in course of construction; many sta
tions have departed from the scheme
Of ALLEGATION set down by the depart
ment, and the whole service of this
most important public function has
drifted into such chaos as seems likely,
if not remedied, to destroy its great
value. I most urgently recommend
that this legislation should be speedily
enacted"
Grave Congestion Cited.
When the air law committee was
convened at Washington in November
there were 612 broadcasting stations,
20 new stations were being construct
ed and 110 other stations were con-
templated. All of these stations were
using. and intended to continue to
use, wave lengths of from 200 to 500
meters. The testimony of experts
showed that there were only SO chan