Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-31
FREE RAPS GRANT !
TO WIRELESS FIRM
"FIowers, Candy, and Per-
haps Liquor" Aided Wave
Gift, Says Representative.
BY MARTIN CODEL.


Color was lent to the otherwise drab
routine of the House hearings on radio
by the tempest stirred up by Represent
alive Free, Republican, OF California.
when he began to follow out his an
nounced determination to investigate
the grant of 40 short waves to the Uni
versal Wireless Communications Co.
Recriminations and regulations few
thick and fast as the Californian open
ed the inquiry yesterday.
House committee members were
plainly unwilling to give any consider
alton whatever to charges made by one
George w. Lawrence" the unidenti-
fed author of a letter to Chairman
White, in which the integrity of several
of the financial hackers of the project
was assailed. Such statements were de-
nounced Immediately by outstanding
members OF Congress from Buffalo.
ere the chief hackers Of the enter
l.se reside. These members vouch-
Safed the financial and moral respon-
sibility Of the Buffalo financiers.
The committees interest, nevertheless
was aroused by Representative Frees
charges of active lobbying" by wash
ington managers of the enterprise and
by his assertion that flowers, candy
and perhaps liquor" have been distrib-
uted in profusion to members of the
Federal Radio Commission, their fam
lilies and the clerical staff of the COM
was denied by Commissioner H. A.
Lafount who was testifying. -
Curtis Sent Letter.
There was also considerable interest
In the series of letters from various
Senators and Representatives, including
one from Vice President-elect Charles
Curtis, taken from the official files of the
commission, most Of the letters urging
upon individual commissioners that ac-
ton be expedited on the Universal's
applications for radio frequencies to es-
tablish the proposed domestic radio tel
egraph service to compete with wire
telegraph.
The committee has agreed to delay
reporting the pending bill to extend
the life of the commission while Rep
resentative Free continues his inquiry,
even though Senate hearings on radio
are due to begin Monday.
Underlying Representative Frees in
sistence in the matter Is his doubt OF
the present commissions competency to
pass upon some Of the vital principles
involved in high frequency radio and
particularly upon the technical. and
financial responsibility of the con-
Germ. MT Lafount told the committee
that the Short-wave applications were
granted largely upon representations
that the company holds secret devices
which make 1t possible to send five
code messages on one normal channel.
Members of the commission frankly
state that they do not understand the
technical set-up Commissioner Lafount
said he depended for his technical ad-
vice upon Lieut.. Comdr. T. A. M. Cra-
ven, naval radio expert, detailed to the
commission as short-wave engineer,
and DR.. A. Hoyt Taylor, civilian radio
chief of the naval research laboratories.
Mr.. Lafount declared the recent lab
oratory demonstration conducted by the
company meant absolutely nothing to
him except that the claim Of ability to
conduct multiple telegraphy on ono
wave length meant conservation of the
other and an advance in the radio art.
The commissioner from the Far
Western zone assured the committee
that the Governments rights to the
radio channels are amply protected by
the restrictions imposed upon the COM
oany. II the company cannot make good
its claims. the wave lengths will re-
vert to the disposal of the Federal
Radio Commission, he said.
Denies Prosecutor Role.
Representative Free disclaims any In
tention Of assuming the role of prose-
cutor, but asserts that he wants to
know more about the authenticity of
the companys patent and technical
structure. The competency of the COM
mission depends directly upon the
scrutiny 1t gave this phase, in his opin-
ion. An experience with fraudulent
stock promotion scheme, based on an
old Marconi radio suit, in which he was
Af AMA H..
vestfnentS of o million dollars, has led
him to be wary Of radio stock job
bing," Mr.. Free told the committee.
That the hackers of the National
Radio Telegraph network have no in
tention to place their stock on the mar
ket at this time has been pointed out to
the committee. Nevertheless Mr. Free
insists that the commission does not
appear to have considered the technical
aspect sufficiently and he intimates
that the reappointments Of the present
commissioners and the appointment Of
new commissioners ought to rest upon
the care and Judgment the present
commissioners exercised in granting
the franchise to the Universal for the
gigantic communications system pro-
posed.
The Californian has indicated that he
VIII call upon DIR. John Nathansohn,
director OF the washington part OF the
project, to explain more fully. Corntir.
Craven, who has just returned from the
Ottawa short-wave conference, NAV
also be invited to testify.
1t is noteworthy that the members of
the Federal Radio Commission who
voted against the grant of waves to the
Universal Co. are those who are about
to retire from Office, namely Commits
sioners Caldwell and Pickard. Mr..
Caldwell has stated that he was not
satisfied with the technical competence
OF the company or in accord with the
principle Of alloting short waves where
land lines are available on account of
the scarcity Of short waves and the
need for other services, particularly
where emergencies and safety of life
are involved. Much the same reasons
were given for Mr.. Pickard's adverse
vote.
Copyright, 1929. by North American News
paper AllianceD