Evening star., 1934-07-01
RADIO ENGINEERS
MAY Be RETAINED
Communications Commits
sion Expected to Take
Over Old Members.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

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VI of the Federal Communica-
4 tons Commission, which re-
places the Federal Radio Com
mission, will be the naming of the
men who will comprise its engineer
ing staff. In all the political recrim-
nations that have been heaped upon
the old Radio Commission, its engi-
neers have escaped practically un-
scatched. Accordingly, even though
all the engineers of the new COM
mission are to be political appointees,
who. of course, must qualify techni-
cally, it is generally expected the
dozen members of the Radio Commits
sion's engineering force will he taken
over by the new commission.
The expectation is that the COM
munications board will divide itself
into three divisions, namely. broad
casting. telephone and telegraph.
There will be chief engineer Of the
commission drawing SO 900 and three
assistants at $500. all appointive and
all outside the civil service jurisdic-
ton. The presumption is that each
take charge of the technical work of
respective division under the di-
vision chief. an administrator who is
also to be an appointee under the new
law.
More Engineers Needed.
That a much larger staff of engi-
neers than the old Radio Commits
sion's dozen will be needed is a fore
gone conclusion. In the additional
$3.50 900 deficiency budget to be sought
for the new commission, which will
be added to what remains of the cur
rent 1851 900 Of the Radio Commits
sion, engineering personnel salaries
will consume big share. Just how
many additional engineers will be
added no one is yet in position TO
state.
In its first six or seven months of
life the new Communications Com
mission has big investigating Job to
undertake. 1t must go thoroughly into
the whole radio structure, over which
it has exclusive jurisdiction, and the
telephone and telegraph set-up. over
which it divides Jurisdictions with the
States. and must make recommends
tions to the next Congress for further
legislation. This is the broad COM
nand 1t has from the last Congress,
which asked it also specifically to
study and recommend whether broad
cast facilities should be blocked off for
special ALLEGATION TO non-profit insti-
tutions. like educational and religious
organiza tlons.
A good share Of this work will be
technical. This means it will be done
very largely by the engineering staff.
The total staff of the old Radio Com
mission was 1l6 and the new COM
missions staff may number UP to 300.
of whom at least Is to so will be
technicians.
Headed by DR.. JoIliffe.
The Radio Commissions engineer
ing staff was headed by DR.. c. B.
Jolliffe, former scientist Of the
Bureau OF Standards. who had a dis
tinguished record in research work
before he undertook the administra-
tive job during the Hoover regime.
He is Republican, which has led to
some talk that he may not become
chief engineer of the new board. On
the other hand, his standing in the
engineering profession is so high that
1t is regarded as unlikely he will be
discarded merely on political grounds.
His two assistant chief engineers are
" Ford Greaves. in charge of broad
cast engineering. and Lieut.. E. K
Jett. in charge of short waves. Greaves
is an old Navy man and one of the
best-known veterans of early wireless
days. Jett retired from the Navy
several years ago for disability and
also has a distinguished record both
in the Navy and with the Radio
Commission. Like DR.. Jolliffe, both
Greaves and Jett hold civil service
ratings. but these are not needed for
appointments to the new commission 6
staff.
Other Civil Service Ratings.
Whether the absence OF civil service
requirements will adversely affect
these technical chiefs depends upon
the new commissioners. who will make
the new appointments. Also holding
civil service ratings are Andrew D.
Ring, assistant to Greaves in the
broadcasting section. and Gerald c.
Gross, assistant to Jett. Both are SO
highly qualified that their appoint
merits to similar posts with the new
commission are regarded as a fore
gone certainty.
What will happen to the division
of field operations. headed by William
D. Terrell and having a score of
supervisory Offices in as many cities,
also depends upon the new commits
sion. Mr.. Terrell formerly was the
Federal Governments big radio chief
as the head of the old radio division
Of the Department Of Commerce. 1t
is regarded as likely that his organi-
cation will be maintained intact.