Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-18
WIRELESS GRANT
STILL UNDER FIRE
Senator Dill Proposes Inquiry
Into Patents of Commune
cations Company.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

focused upon the newly formed Univer-
sal Wireless Communications Co., backed
by group of Buffalo capitalists and
recently allotted a parcel of 40 short
waves by the Federal Radio Commits
sion for the purposes of establishing a
national telegraph system serving
major cities in all States of the Union
and competing directly with the wire
systems.
No aspersions have been cast upon
the directors of the huge project. They
appear to be men of high standing in
their community. Many questions are
being asked, however, about the quail
fications of the enterprise at the cur
rent hearings before the House COM
mittee on radio. Searching inquiry
into its technical equipment and flnan-
cial plans is proposed by Senator Dill
of Washington when the Senate COM
mittee hearings on radio get under way.
The primary question is whether the
company has at hand, as claimed, a
combination of patents which can utll-
ize single radio channels to flve times
their normal capacity. Such technlcal
strength may be expected to revolu-
tionize the art of Short-wave communl-
cations.
The next questions to be pursued IN
the course of the congressional inquiry
are whether the one technical demon
stration conducted for the Federal Ra-
do Commission was conclusive ano
whether the company will be warranted
IN floating a public stock issue.
Members Are Puzzled.
Further than this, the broad principle
Of governmental authorization OF the
use of the exceedingly scarce con mental
he where conn
petitive wire services are already In
operation, while apparently settled by
the commissions grants OF channels 10
the Universal company and the press
group. will be subject of scrutiny oy
Congress. The purpose Of inquiry Is 10
determine whether radio-telegrapn
services are needed by the country or
whether the precious wave lengths snall
be preserved for other needs, chiehy
those involving e: lergencies and SaIety
of life.
Members of Congress are frankly
puzzled about the whole short wave Sit
nation. Some of them, like Representa-
tive White of Maine, Free OF California
and Reid of Illinois, are remarking that
the broadcasting problem pales into in
significance beside the problems OF eco
Monies and public policy presented by
the short waves. Representative Free,
who opened the House members inquiry
into the Universal project, stated that
he regards the stress by committee
members upon broadcasting as "wag-
ging the tail of the dog"
The moving spirit in the Universal
project is DR.. John NathanSohn, Tor
mer Buffalo medical practitioner, VINO
informed the writer that he first became
interested in radio while using electro
cal therapeutic methods with his
patients. Although he is not an off1cer
or director of the company, he is gen.
orally accredited with the responsibility
for obtaining the channel grants from
the commission He maintains head
quarters as manager of the company in
a large suite of rooms in the National
Press Building and has spent most OF
the last six or eight months in WASH
ington.
Patents Held Secrets.
DR.. Nathansohn declared he is not at
liberty to disclose the patents held by
the company, for fear that they Will
be seized upon by the natural enemies
of such a project as the Buf1aio men
have launched, namely, the radio in
terests, like the Radio Corporation OF
America and the Mackay Radio COM
penieS; and the wire interests, like the
Western Union and the Postal. He In
sists, however, that the company is able
by its fivefold transmission method to
do what no other radio communicating
company can do.
The demonstration of equipment took
place early last month in a laboratory
established at 1904 M street northwest.
Washington, with all the members OF
the Federal Radio Commission present
and some of their engineers and coun-
sci. Present also were Senators Dill
of Washington, Frazier of North Da-
kota and Stephens of Mississippi, and
Representatives Bloom of New York
and Frear of Wisconsin. A second days
demonstration was viewed by Senators
Watson of Indiana, Wheeler of Mon
tana, Sackett of Kentucky and Golf of
West Virginia.
The officials sent messages which
were transmitted from the laboratory
and received by radio back in the same
room, but practically none of them was
cogniZant of the technical detail of the
multiple sending and receiving appara-
tuS, according to Senator Dill. The
transmitter worked one short wave
with only S watts of power. The five
messages were paid to have been tuned
IN also at the naval research laboratory
at Anacostia, some miles distant
Comdr. T. A. M Cravin, U. S. N. engi-
neer in charge of short waves for the
RADIO Commission, was present and
reported to the commission the COM
pany's engineers had done what they
claimed
Nothing New, Is Claim.
The unsuccessful applicants for short
waves for similar domestic radio net
work to feed into their transoceanic
radio circuits are claiming that moth
ing was demonstrated that cannot