Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-26
CALDWELL READY
TO QUIT BOARD
New York Radio Commits
sioner intends to Resign
From Body in October.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

Friends of O. H. Caldwell. who repre-
SCENTS New York and the North Atlantic
group of States on tho Federal Radio
| Commission. are trying to dissuade him
! from his announced intention to resign
! in September or October as a membr
! OF the commission.
Several Of his colleagues and certain
| important men in and out of the radio
| industry who are in accord with his
views on radio regulation are bringing
strong pressure to bear upon him with
the hope of having him change his
mind. but as yet Caldwell has not given
| any intimation that he will remain as
member of the board after mid-Oc-
| tober.
/ Coincidontly. there was a rumor to-
| day that Judge Ira f. Robinson. the
chairman Of the commission, was about
| to resign. The reason given for Judge
RobinS0n's detection was said to be his
desire to return to the bench. 1t was
known that the Judge intended to go
| to Charleston, w Va. this week. where
party convention will nominate two
| candidates for the State Supreme Court.
| and it was intimated that Judge Rob-
| inson would be one of the nominees.
| Late this evening. however. the Judge
denied that he was a candidate for
/ either place. and said that he was
! committed TO the support of two other
| men. He thought the r,mor that he
i would resign emanated from some old
! friends who had been urging him to
return tn the bench.
! The immediate resignation of either
Of these men would drive the commits
sion into another period of uncertainty
Ike that nccasiOned last year by two
deaths and one resignation in the ranks
OF its original personnel.
Only Engineer.
/ Commissioner Caldwell is one of the
/ two remaining members Of the COM
| mission as it was first organized. in
| March, 1927, and the only electrical
| engineer on board which at the out
set was constituted reponderantly of
| technical men. Judge Robinson APP
pointed to succeed the late Admiral
/ William II. c. Bullard, came to the
commission in March from a post in
the Attorney Generals office.
Neither Of these two commissioners
is understood to be anxious to stay. al
| though Caldwell has said he would not
resign until definite plan of reallo-
eating broadcasting and administering
the important short-wave problem had
been decided upon and effected.
Judge Robinson Is understood tc
relish his administrative position slight
~ preferring a place on the bench. Al
the time Judge Robinson was named tc
the radio post Senator Coff Of West
Virginia. who recommended the ap-
pointment, said he had twice recon-
mended Judge Robinson for a Fedora
judgeship
In Caldwell's case personal fortune
| m, he he syAY. Fr,
resignation He gave I'D n SIT 0oO-a.
year Job with New York trade pub.
fishing house with which he had beer
AFFILIATED for II years, and to which ht
intends returning. for the $4,000 place
on the commission.
stormy Petrol
Although Commissioner Caldwell may
remain until March at the insistence o.
his friends and supporters, the immi.
hence of the adoption of a compromise
reallocation plan for broadcasting ma,
constrain him to carry out his origina
determination to resign soon
Commissioner Caldwell has been thu
stormy petrol of the Federal radio
administration ever since the last Con.
gress convened. An exponent of high
power broadcaSting and an opponen
of the Davis equalization amendment
which nevertheless was passed by Con
greSs, his confirmation as a Republican
member of the commission Was bit
terly fought In the Senate. He won ou
by the narrow margin Of one vote
largely through the support and infiu.
ence Of the two Democratic senators
from his State Of New York
His views concerning high power
have been unchanged, but he has mad,
1t plain that he also favors multiple
low-power stations to afford localized
service in addition To the high powe
hroadcasts that serve more extensive
areas
Recently he has had another ex
change with Representative Davis o
Tennessee. author Of the equalization
amendment, over high power Davi
wants the 50-kilnwatt stations reduced
Caldwell, whose zone embraces most o
the high power stations. wants them t,
have even higher powers, and favor
more high-power stations Throughout
the country.
Opposes Super Power.
incidentally, Chairman Robinson
represented as opposing super power
He advocates a maximum OF 5000 watt
for any station On this score he az,
Caldwell are utterly at odds The NeS
York commissioners, however has beer
ndhering closely to the zonal cqualiza
| tion instructions Of Congress, evel
though he opposed them when the
were being considered
Commissioner Caldwell has stated re
peatedly that he regards the admins
tration Of radio as a one-man iot
Hence he is in absolute accord with tn
portion of the radio law terminatin
his tenure and that of all his colleague
next March Is and requiring the reap
pointment OF commission after tina
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