Evening star., 1928-12-03
LEADERS Of RADIO
LEGISLATION BACK
Representative White and
Senator Dill in Position to
Carry on Activities.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

There are no lame ducks" among
the leaders in radio legislation back for
the present short session of Congress.
If any fight over radio develops-and
that is more than likely-theSe leaders
will be in a position to carry through
their contentious to the Seventy-first
Congress. Few of the leaders them
selves expect the enactment of major
radio legislation during the short seS-
sion.
The two leaders most prominently
identified with radio legislation are the
co-authorS of the radio act Of 1927,
Representative White Republican, of
Maine and Senator Dill (Democrat) of
Washington, both reelected in the re-
cent campaign Senator Dill defeated
a Republican opponent in the face of a
tremendous Hoover landslide in his
State.
Representative White has announced
his candidacy for the United States
Senate, but that contest will not de-
velop in Maine until 1880. Meanwhile
he returns as chairman OF the House
committee on marine and fisheries,
which has charge of radio. His close
relations with President-elect Hoover
anu IllS Key pOSltlOU III Tic I1OOSC HUI
cate that he will be the administration
spokesman on radio matters.
Returns to i. c. C..
Senator Dill will again be on the
Interstate Commerce Commission, where
he played the leading role in framing
the 1927 law. This commission is
headed by Senator Watson (Republi-
CAM of Indiana, who is being men,
toned prominently for floor leader OF
the next Senate to succeed Vice Presi-
dent-elect Curtis.
Senator Watson is also closely identi-
fed with the radio act. His selection
as floor leader would find Senator
CouzenS (Republican) of Michigan the
ranking member of his committee and
in line to succeed him as chairman.
Senator Couzens has ideas of his own
duced measures designed to establish
commission to have control over wire
as we'll as wireless service.
On the House side Mr.. Whites defec-
ton would not take place until the
Seventy-hrst Congress had done most
Of its work, so that his leadership in
radio in that chamber will continue
Representative Lehlbach of New Jersey
is the ranking Republican and Repre-
sentative Davis of Tennessee is the
ranking Democrat on his committee.
Both will be in the next Congress. Mr..
Lehlbach has taken an active part in
radio legislation, and Mr.. Davis has
been leader of an exceedingly vigorous
minority Of the House committee.
Davis Wrote Amendment.
It was Representative Davis who
nf na 1i1of al,,aa a11f
quiring the Federal Radio Commission
TO divide wave lengths and power
equally among the several zones and
among the several States proportion
ately to their population. This led to
the recent broadcaSting reallocation,
against which surprisingly little crit
iciSm has been heard among returning
members of both Houses.
It is evident that the most to be ex-
pected from the short session in matters
of radio is continuance of the Radio
Commission for perhaps another year,
although Senator Dill and Representa-
tive Davis declare that it viii make
little difference in its powers if it does
become an appeal board, as prescribed
by the present law. Both have indi-
Gated that they intend to take the COM
mission to task for some Of its policies
and actions.
The interest In radio awakened on
Capitol Hill is evident from the personal
appearances recently of Senators Norris
of Nebraska, Walsh of Montana, Brook
hart of Iowa and Glenn of Illinois at
the hearing on WENR, Chicago, and of
Speaker Nicholas Longworth, Senator
FeSS of Ohio and Senator r-elect Burton
of Ohio at the hearing on WSAI, Gin
cinnati. AT other hearings previously
held many other members of both
houses attended and testified. During
the Summer and Fall members of Con-
gress have been incessant visitors at the
commissions headquarters, both for the
public hearings and for private confer
enceS.
(Copyright, 1928, by North American
Newspaper Alliance