Evening star., 1934-07-03
NEW WIRE BOARD
LACKS WESTERNER
Political and Personal
Choices Seen in List OF
Members.
COMBINATION of political and

state telephones and telegrapnS, more
for their political sponsorship, their
experience in public life and his per-
sonal knowledge of their abilities than
for any expert background in the field
of communications. 1t is fairly well
balanced body politically and section
ally, though it came somewhat as
surprise that the Far West was COM
pletely left out.
Chairman Of the new commission,
appointed for the seven-year term, is
Judge Eugene o. Sykes, Democrat OF
Mississippi, who was also chairman of
the Radio Commission. The other Sc
lections are Col. Thad H. Brown, Re-
publican of Ohio. vice chairman of the
old Radio Commission, six years; Paul
A. Walker, Democrat, chairman Of
the Oklahoma Corporation Commis-
sion, five years: Norman S. Case, Re
publican, former Governor of Rhode
Island, four years; DR.. Irwin Stewart,
Democrat Of Texas communications
adviser OF the State Department. three
years; George Henry Payne, Repub-
lican of New York, member of the
New York City Tax Commission, two
years, and Hampson Gary. Democrat
of Texas, a lawyer with Offices in New
York and Washington, who was Min
lister to Switzerland under Wilson, one
year,
PralI May Get Post.
It is generally believed the appoint
ment of Hampson Gary is stop-gap
until next year. when Representative
Prall of New York, who held an ap
- 1icc
but elected instead to serve out his
term in Congress. will be appointed.
Representative Prall, backed by Sena-
tor Wagner Of New York, could not be
appointed this year because of the
constitutional provision that forbids a
member of Congress taking office on
q board created during his legislative
term.
Except for Judge Sykes and Col.
Thad H Brown, who may be con-
sidered as experts in radio communi-
cations because of their long service
with the Radio Commission, and
Walker, an authority on utilities reg
ulation, the only communications eX-
pert is DR.. Stewart, who. backed by
Representative Sam Rayburn, CO.
author of the Dill-Rayburn bill Gre
atlng the commission, won the place
wholly on merit for his work on the
bill with Mr. Rayburn. DR.. Stewart
comes from the State Departments
treaty division where he handled in
ternational radio and cable matters
The youngest member of the new
board, DR.. Stewart, brings to it the
new deals "brain-trust" idea, for his
background is almost entirely aca-
demic. Since being graduated from
the University of Texas in 1920, later
taking his Phi, D. degree at Columbia
University, he has been occupied en-
tirely as a college instructor except for
his terms in the State Department.
To Start Work Soon.
The Communications Commission,
according to Chairman Sykes, will be-
gin functioning as soon as possible on
its big task Of selecting personnel, or
ganizing and carrying out the man
dates of Congress. Practically all the
Radio Commissions subordinate staff
is due to be taken over. The new
commission will be formed into three
diviSionS-O broadcasting, ~ wire
and radio telephony and t3) wire and
radio telegraphy. Each division will
have an administrative chief and an
assistant chief engineer. The initial
meeting is tentatively scheduled for
July 10.
The selection of Herbert L. Pettey
of Kansas City, secretary of the old
Radio Commission and radio liaison
man for the Democratic National
Committee. was seen as a certainty
from the start. He, along with Judge
Sykes and DR.. Stewart was on the
special Interdepartmental Committee
whose recommendations led to the
framing of the Dill-Rayburn bill
Paul D. P. Spearman, Washington
attorney who was formerly an assist
ant counsel of the Radio Commission,
is slated to become general counsel.
He is Democrat who has long been
active in politics in his native State
Of Mississippi. Judge Sykes and Sena-
tors Harrison and Stephens of MiSsis-
sippi first brought him to Washington.
At least two of his assistants are ex-
pected to be George B. Porter. former
acting chief counsel of the Radio
Commission. an Iowa Democrat. and
Miss Fanny Neyman, an acting as
s1stant counsel Of the old commission,
Montana Democrat.
Free from Politics.
The expectation is that the engi-
neering division will be maintained
free from politics and that DR.. C. B.
Jolliffe, the Radio Commissions chief
engineer, will head it because of his
pre-emlnent standing as a scientist.
1t Is also likely that DR.. Jolliffe and
his whole engineering staff will be
maintained intact, together with aug
mentations. DR.. Jolliffe was appoint
ed from the Bureau of Standards dur
ing the Republican regime, but such
men as Judge Sykes and DR.. Stewart
are staunchly behind him.
The division chiefs will be selected
by the commission, as will the rest of
q staff Of perhaps 300. That Demo-
cratic patronage demands will fill most
of the posts is certain, with Post
master General Farley approving the
selections. Yet experts will be needed
for many posts, and, as in the cast of
the engineers, party lines may be
Withdrawn to secure the right men.
Most surprising to observers was
the shuntlng aside of the candidates.
OF Such men as Harold A. Lafount of
Utah. Republican radio commissioner.
who had almost solid backing of both
Democratic and Republican Senators
from the Far Western States, and
Capt. S. c. Hooper, chief of naval
communications, an outstanding figure
In the radio and wire fields, who was
one of Roosevelt's men during the
Presidents wartime days as Assistant
Secretary of the Navy Lafount's re-
lection and the absence of any Far
Western member on the commission
indicates that Senator Dill failed to
get any patronage in connection with
the board he helped to create. La
fount tentatively plans to return West
and possibly enter business in Cali
fornia
Former Radio Commissioner James
Hanley of Omaha, if not given another
Government post, may enter the prac-