Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-25
RADIO BOARD HEARS.
SHORT-WAvE PLEAS.
Continental Communication
on High-Frequency Channels
Sought by 80 Applicants.
BY MARTIN CODEL.


in the continental Short-wave problem
now the subject of public hearings be-
fore the Federal Radio Commission.
One is the question whether the APP
plication of public utility law shall be
the ruling factor in assigning such
channels.
The other is, whether existing land
wire facilities shall be duplicated or
even supplemented by radiotelegraph
network
Twenty Of the 30 or more applica-
tons for high f. ouency channels for
inland point -to-pO 1t services will be-
gin today to lay their respective cases
before the radio board.
There are commercial land companies
which seek to use the ether lanes for
variety of purposes, such as the eS-
Enlistment of competitive inter-city
telegraph services. the handling of
press traffic. the transmission of private
messages and the maintenance of re-
serve communications systems for emer-
gency purposes.
Hundreds of companies are already
enjoying the use of radio for these and
other domestic communications Serv-
ices, but not on an extensive scale.
These companies recognized the posi-
bilities of using radio in their business,
either for purposes of Speedier COM
i1lunication or more economical word
traffic tolls. or both, long before Con-
gress acted to set up a regulating
board.
Many New Applicants.
Radio has become an important adj
junct to many businesses such as de-
partment stores, power companies,
fishery and cannery concerns and the
like.
Not only do the present users Of the
high-frequency spectrum want to re-
tain their privileges, but many new
companies now want to go on the air.
These are the applicants. most of
them newcomers, which have been
docketed for hearing before the COM
mission this week on their requests for
Sllort-wave privileges: Radio Corpora
ton of America, Postal Radio and Tele-
graph Co., Universal Wireless Com
niunication Co., Inc, Inter-City Radio
Telegraph Co., Tidewater Wireless Tele-
graph Co. American Publishers Com
rnittee. International News Service,
Consolidated Press Association, Illinois
Printing and Publishing Co. New York
Times. New York Herald-Tribune, De-
troit Edison Co, Cudahy Packing Co,
Montgomery Ward Co.. Florida Public
Service Co., Public Service Electric and
Gas Co.. Edison Chaplin & Co. Okla
hcna Gas and Electric Co.. West Penn
sylvania Power Co., and Hawaiian Pine
apple Co, Ltd
In establishing principles for its own
guidance in the reaSSignment of wave
lengths that will become necessary
when the international radiotelegraph
treaty Of 1927 goes into effect, next
January /, the radio commission must
set down rule regarding the public
service to be rendered by companies
assigned to use the short waves.
Chairman Robinson is committed to
the public utility idea; that is, that no
one shall use these precious channels
who does not throw open his facilities
for the general use of the public at
large.
May Eliminate Many.
If accepted, this principle will prob
ably eliminate many of the present
private users of short waves. Then the
commission will be faced with the old
question: Shall existing land-line facili-
ties be duplicated by radio or shall the
limited facilities of the ether be used
only where others are lacking?
The high-frequency spectrum under
consideration ranges from 500 to 5000
kilocycles. Excluding the channels al
ready assigned to the various Govern
ment services under an executive order
signed by President Coolidge. approx
mately 438 wave lengths will be avail
able for distribution by the commits
sion, using the temporarily fixed stand
ard of two-tenths of one per cent sepa-
ration between freouencies.
This standard. some engineers be-
lieve, can be narrowed to half the
separation, thus affording twice as
many channels. OF these, the coun-
trv's amateurs are assigned band of
1873 by reason of their status under the
international treaty.
Television experimenters have al
ready obtained nine bands each 100
kilocycles wide for short-term uses.
Claim Priority.
Mobile services, such as ships and
planes, must yet obtain their assign
ments, and these are recognized as the
claimants deserving priority.
The railroads, the geophySical ex-
plorers and the facsimile transmitters,
among the others, want their places
in the ether fixed by the commission,
and their public service is their claim
to prior consideration.
Preliminary technical details in con-
rection with short and long waves have
been in the hands of a naval officer,
Lieut.. COmdr. TuniS A. II. Craven, de-
tailed to succeed Capt. S. c. Hooper as
engineer adviser to the Federal Radio
Commission, when the latter was APP
pointed chief of naval communications
Comdr. Craven was technical adviser
for radio-frequency ALLEGATION at the
International Radiotelegraph Confer
ence in Washington last year when the
treaty was drawn up. He has been
feet radio officer of the United States
Fleet, has been in charge of radio re-
search and design for the Navy, and
was collaboration with Capt. Hooper in
writing the well known "Robinson's
Manual of Radio-Telegraphy and Radio
Telephony"