Evening star., 1934-03-13

SIllIld 10 CcIlLS per worn, W VcIlcLucld
So cents per word and to the Dutch
West Indies 90 cents per word.
1t Is impossible to regulate cable
or radio rates to foreign countries.
because it is impossible to control
the rate at the foreign end. Since
we cannot regulate such rates effec-
lively. we must depend on the COM
can regulate domestic rates. and we
propose now to give this new COM
mission full power over telephone.
telegraph and radio rates, including
the power to regulate holding COM
panies and all of their subsidiaries
and affiliates.
As now written. the bill to create
the Communications Commission, pro-
vides for seven members. 1t is to
have three divisions, telephone di-
vision, a telegraph division, and a
radio division. with two members In
charge of each division. the chairman
of the commission to sit as member
Of each division when needed. Con-
gress may reduce the commission to
five, and combine the telephone and
telegraph divisions into one division,
as there may not be enough work to
justify the creation of three divisions.
The bill abolishes the Radio Com
mission and transfers all its powers
to the Communications Commission.
AS to the problems Of the control of
bond issues, creation Of sinking funds,
permission for mergers, the bill
grants no new regulatory powers, but
leaves those questions for future con-
sideration after the commission has
been created and has been able to
study them and make recommends
tions to Congress.
Unable to Regulate Rates.
Now let me discuss the difference
between radio regulation and the reg
ulation of telephone and telegraph
companies. Radio regulation up to
this time has consisted Of the con-
troll Of the ALLEGATION Of the use OF
radio frequencies to different kinds
of services. This is necessary to pre-
vent interference. Congress created
the Radio Commission in 1927. 1t
has granted licenses for the wave
lengths for broadcasting, for ship
radio, for airplane radio, for police
radio, for television radio, for ANA
teur radio and for all kinds OF ex-
perimental uses Of radio. The COM
mission has never had power to regu-
late rates for advertising or broad
casting or rates Of any kind. Nor
does this proposed law give the new
power over advertising OF
rates.
It Is my opinion, however, that un-
less radio station managers eliminate
some of the Objectionable advertising
practices now prevalent, the protests
and demands Of radio listeners will
eventually force Congress to give the
commission complete control over both
rates and advertising. I cannot take
time to review the history of the de-
of the art Of communica-
ton, but I desire to call attention to q
few outstanding facts. The first tele-
graph line in this country was COM
pleted in 1874, just 80 years ago.
Cyrus Field laid the first cable between
this country and Europe in 1856, GO
years ago. Alexander Graham Bell
sent the first telephone message in
1876, So years ago.
While radio broadcasting as the
people generally know it now began
about 1920 to 1922. the origin Of radio
really dates back to 1881, more than
100 years ago. Michael Faraday In
1881 discovered that if he caused a
current Of electricity to pass through
a coil OF wire. it would set up cur
rent of electricity in another coil OF
wire placed a few inches away, al
though there we're no connecting
wires between these two coils. That
was induction. 1t was the beginning
Of radio. In 1867 James Maxwell dis
covered that the electricity passed
from the one coil of wire to the other
in waves through the ether. In 1887
Heinrich Hertz discovered how to
produce and send these waves and
measure their speed and their length.
In 1896 Marconi took out the first
wireless patent and began to extend
the distance between the sending coil
and the receiving coil. He broke up
The waves into dots and dashes of the
code. At first he sent them
q half mile, then 10 miles, then across
The English Channel, and in 1902
across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1905
J. A. Fleming patented the vacuum
;ube. and in 1908 Lee De Forest pat
,nted the vacuum tube with the grid,
and in 1915 the first telephone con-
versation occurred between the Arling-
ION station here in Washington and
he Eiffel Tower station in Paris. In
1920 the Westinghouse Electric Co,
broadcast the presidential election re-
turns from East Pittsburgh. So many
radio listeners wrote letters
urging more broadcasts that the
Co. secured the first
radio broadcasting license from the
Secretary of Commerce, with the call
letters WBZ, at Springfield, Mass.
Thus in less than 100 years from 1881,
the year Faraday discovered that elec-
tricity passed from one coil of wire to
another coil Of wire without any wire
connection. the genius of man de-
veloped this marvellous mystery we
call radio. It has become so impor-
tant and has such great possibilities
for the future use and future happi-
ness Of the human family that all
governments the world around have
Joined in q series Of worldwide
agreements to regulate the use of
radio wave lengths.
Vested Interests Denied.
In fact, in practically every other
nation, the governments
either own and operate or
control the operation of all radio in
their respective countries. In the
United States we have written a law
lnder which the Government permits
he private ownership and control of
'adio stations, but grants licenses for
he use Of wave lengths for limited
periods of time. As yet the Radio
Commission has granted no license for
more than one year, although the law
,erm1ts grants for longer periods.
Under the Supreme Cl1rt decidon