Evening star., 1933-12-03
REPORT ASKS WIRE
AND RADIO BOARD
Contra! Control Plan for All
Communication Recommend
ed to Roosevelt.
BY MARTIN CoDEL.
RESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S mes
J SaRt TO the forthcoming ND'
press will contain recommenda

RToSS WILL cOIltdul TcCOuullcAlQd-
Il tons for the Federal regulation
communication by a Commission on
Communications, If he agrees with the
tentative report, now concluded ana
shortly to be submitted to him, of
Secretary of Commerce Roper's special
Interdepartmental Committee urging
that all interstate and international
control of American communications be
centralized
Contents of the document are being
carefully guarded, but its tentatlVe
draft, according to reliable information,
recommends a commission that would
absorb the regulatory jurisdiction OF the
Radio Commission over radio, tnat ol
the Interstate Commerce Commission
(seldom exercised) over the wire teie-
phones and telegraphs and tnat OF tile
State Department over cables ana inter-
national wireless. ...,
precisely how the new commission
would function, under the tentative
scheme. is not known to the writer; IN
fact il, is believed that the propoSeo
nIan merely sets forth the principles
10 he followed and leaves to later
Judgment possibly congressional, now
many men shall constitute the COM
mission how it shall be departmental
lied, etc.
Dill May Be Sponsor.
The actual bills presumably WIN oe
written and introduced IN congress Wy
Cenator Dill of Washington, chairman
of the Senate Interstate Commerce
Committee, and Representative RayDulh
Of rTeyas chairman of the House COIl-
,,,;+tee on Interstate Commerce. Inc
PRESIDENT himself asked Mr.. Rayourn
to draw IN a tentative bill shortly altel
The election last November. Then the
matter was left to a committee OF GoV-
ernment experts. .~,
The committee is headed by Secretary
Roper as chairman. Vice chairman ana
one of its prime movers IS MAJ; Gen
Charles NICK. Saltzman, former Repuo-
lican chairman Of the Raolo Couiliioo
sion and now vice president OF tiie
Merchant Fleet Corporation. HerperI
L. Pettey, secretary of the Raolo Cotnr m.
mission and a sort OF llalson man ioi
the administration on radio matters, Is
the committees secretary. Its otner
members are Dr. w. M. Splawn, former
president of the University of Texas,
who has been acting as special counsel
for MI. Rayburn's House Committee on
TRANSPORTATION and Communications,
DR.. Irwin D. Stewart, State Department
radio expert; Capt. S. G. Hooper, olfec-
tor of naval communications and MAJ.
Gen Irving j. Carr, chief Of the Army
Signal Corps.
This committee has been meeting
weekly to consider the broad aspects OF
Federal communications control. Its
advisers are Senator Dill and Repre-
sentative Rayburn. 1t is likely that
both their Senate and House commit
tess will hold hearings, possibly joint,
hi11c II lS
decided by the President whether they
should proceed. There is some ques-
ton whether Congress, absorbed IN
other more pressing economic problems,
will get to the subject during its 1884
session unless the President insists.
To Be Appellate Body.
The executive can only recommend.
Since the commission, like the present
Radio Commission and most other
commissions, would be a creature
of Congress, the subject is one for the
administration to propose, if it chooses,
and for Congress to dispose Senator
Dill, who was in Washington recently,
said he is not satisfied with the Radio
Commission and suggested that If the
Roper report is not recommended he
may urge a new three-man radio con-
troll board, possibly under one of the
executive departments.
Although no official information can
be procured, it is understood that the
Roper committee has considered making
the new commission function primarily
as an appellate body with a director of
communications exercising adminlstra-
tive control and heading a staff of sub
directors, each having direction Of one
OF The branches OF communications.
The director would be responsible to
the full commission.
The Roper committee has also con-
sidered the prospect of unifying Amer
ica's external communications, once
sought unsuccessfully in Congress, in
order to present a unit American front
against Great Britains unified world
wide cable and radio system. Rate
making in domestic telephony and
telegraphy may also be proposed. but
it IS not believed to be contemplated
Tor broadcasting. That branch of regu-
1ation uyplI1d have its nUr sIlhdirpctOr