Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-09
RADIO HEARINGS
BROUGHT TO END
Senate Orders WatS0n-W
Bill to Extend Commits
sion Reported.
BY MARTIN CODEL.


Exactly one month from the time
| they began the congressional hearings
| on radio came to an end. The Senate
| committee made short shift on Friday
| of the Watson-White bill to extend the
| life of the Federal Radio Commission
| by ordering it reported unanimously.
| The way is now paved for debate and
action in both House and Senate, the
House measure having been reported
unanimously early in the week.
Whether or not the bill is enacted in
! the remaining few weeks of the expir-
ing Congress. the maze of conflict that
surrounds the various aspects of ma
tional and international radio must in
evitably soon evoke an expression of
| the will of President-elect Hoover and
the incoming administration. The one
year extension of the radio board is at
best a temporary expedient that begs
! the greater governmental problems and
principles involved in governing this
new form of communication.
Mr.. HooverS desire regarding the
regulation of radio furnishes one of the
enigmas of the situation. Many repre-
sensations have been made about his
| attitude, but none of them bears the
remoteSt stamp of official desire ex-
cept the reports from several men who
purport to have spoken with him in
Washington or at Miami Beach. They
are said to have evoked from him the
| informal statement that whatever Con-
gress elects to do will be satisfactory
to him and that he will not discuss
radio until ne takes Office.
Urge Enactment.
| Senator Watson and Representative
| White, respective chairmen of the Sen
ate and House committees, favor the
| bill, along with their full committees.
They will urge its enactment, frankly
admitting that other and fuller legis-
| lation will be needed after President
Hoover presents his message to the
| Seventy-first Congress. None of the
| radio leaders expect radio to play any
part whatever In the special session to
be called in April to consider farm
relief and tariff legislation.
The outlook is favorable for the ex-
tension bill Chairman White will have
rule from the rules committee to
bring it before the House after next
Monday. Senator Dill is writing the
Senate committee report, and will prob
ably take charge of the measure on the
floor of the Senate. 1t is almost GER
tain to go through the House, but the
Senate may block it. Under that body'S
rules one dissenting vote can prevent
immediate action on it, and one man
could easily filibuster its passage in
the short space of time left before
adjournment on March 4.
Several members of the Senate COM
mittee say they understand there will
be some opposition, but admit they do
not know the exact quarter from which
1t will emanate. Failure of the meas
ure to pass will make the commission
an appeal board and throw it's admin
istrative duties back to the Department
of Commerce. This is what Commits
sioner Caldwell advocated before the
House and Senate committees, while
Commissioners Robinson, Sykes and La
fount favored the continuance.
The status of the commission is in
doubt only with respect to legislation.
for March 16 is the date it otherwise
Will lapse into quasi-judicial functions.
| The status of the commissioners is in
doubt with respect to what President
Coolidge may do. ALI their terms expire
In about two weeks, or on February g.
With or without consulting Mr.. Hoover,
the President is expected to name the
personnel of the commission before that
time
Reappointment Indicated.
Mr.. Coolidge has indicated he will
reappoint Commissioners Robinson,
Sykes and Lafount. The first two are
Jurists and the latter is a civil engi-
| neer and business man. Commissioner
Pickard has resigned and is now with
the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Commissioner Caldwell has asked not
to be reappointed A deluge of nomi-
nations. some appearing to have good
Hoover and other political hallmarks,
has poured upon President Coolidge.
He has asked the Secretary of Com
merce, William F. Whiting, for recon-
mendations.
| One appointee must come from the
nrst zone Of New England and Middle
| Atlantic States and the other from the
| fourth zone of Middle Western States,
One must be a Republican and one
must be a Democrat. In view of the
previous makeup of the commission
and the fact that no man of technical
experience remains, it would appear
that technicians are most likely to win
the appointments.
| 1t Is known that the presidential list
OF prospects contains the names of such
available men as Arthur BatcheIler
FEDERAL radio supervisor at New York
Prof. c. M. Jansky, jr. consulting radio
engineer on leave from the University
OF Minnesota; Gen. Charles Mex
Saltzman, retired chief of the Army
Signal Corps; Harold Hayes. SUPER
visor of radio at Chicago: =. A Reane
former supervisor of radio at Chicago
and Lieut.. Comdr. T. A. Craven. u. s.
N. engineer of the Federal Radio Com
1 TENva de- Al