Evening star., 1928-04-19
PRESS OPENS FIGHT
FOR SHORT WAVES
News Men Tell of Pioneer
Efforts in Radio Field to
Back Up Demand.

| Newspapers and press associations
| have joined in common cause To press
| their short wave claims on the Federal
| Radio Commission. They made known
| their wants several months ago in for
NAL applications for the use OF the
bands from 1000 to 4,l00 kilocycles,
| 5000 to 5000 kilocycles and 10000 TO
| $4,000 kilocycles or the wave lengths
around o. IS and rs meters. Now they
are urging. through the agency OF the
! American publishers committee, that
immediate action be taken upon these
| applications.
Three New York newspapers and one
each in Philadelphia. Boston and Chi
Csgo, together with three press asSocia-
| tionS are in the group seeking an cS-
| tabliShed place in tho short-waVe spec
| trum, Their counsel. Joseph pierson.
! chairman Of the publishers committee.
| appeared at public hearing before the
| commission to point out that delay In
making the Short-wave assignments
opens the danger OF other nations pre-
empting large part OF the short-wave
| field
Oppose Commercial Bids.
They were particularly vigorous in de-
clarinE their prior rights over certain
| public service communication interests
| which are also seeking more short waves
| for domestic and transoceanic use.
| While the concerns meant were not
! named IL was generally understood
/ they we're the Radio Corporation of
| America and the Mackay interests, both
| OF which propose TO set up extensive
| domestic networks OF stations for carry
| ing OF radio-telegraph services.
| A technical proposal before the COM
I &
outstanding Short-wave experts. was
| criticized becaus. ii placed the commu-
| nications companies ahead Of the news
| papers in the priority OF iustlhaole
Short-wave claims. The news group
| suggested that the priority be IN this
| order: National defense, civil airwayS,
| emergency systems for emergency use
| only. systems exclusively for disSeminat-
| ing public information by the press. and
| systems for communicating where land
wire service is irnpracticablc or cannot
| be secured or maintained without pro-
| hibitive expense.
The proposition that the newspapers
should pay the public service radio COM
| panieS for carrying their word traffic
vas vigorously aSsailed The news men
stated they felt fully competent 10
handle this trafic themselves, asserting
| the activities OF the American press
antedated those Of all American radio
companies in the transatlantic and
point-to-point wireless field. and avow-
ing further that they feel fully compe-
tent in skill and efficiency 10 handle
their own radio-telegraph circuits.
Press Sends so Per Cent"
To-day" Mr.. Pierson told the COM
mittee. the American press Is hand
ling more than so per cent Of Its own
word trafic In terms of rapidity and
accuracy the press managed circuits Of
the world are 100 per cent more efIl-
Client than those handled By private
company middlemen, The press today
operates about 230000 miles Of leased
wire circuits and about 1000 miles OF
radio circuits"
Private companies. 1t Is further MAIN
tanned, have long ago reached the limit
Of the press matter they can handle.
Moreover. objection is raised To the
higher cost to the newspapers Of using
the private circuits
The need Of the waves by the news
papers also was stressed in view oi
| limited service by private companies.
due To weather and sudden congestion
Of business II was maintained that the
land wire from New York 10 Halifax
has been completely interrupted on an
average Of four times per month since