Evening star., 1934-08-26
TECHNICAL STAFF
OF FF.C.C.CO COMPLETE
New Commission Is Keeping
Engineering Department
Free of Politics.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

N appointing highly quaif1ed
Il - technicians to all the execu-
tive posts and promoting civil
service retainers from the old Federal
Radio Commission on a merit basis,
the Federal Communications Com
mission last week completed its tech
after Labor day. Before most Of the
members departed for their vacations,
however, the full commission visited
the White House for q half hour s
chat with President Roosevelt on the
problems Of communications.
The visit was informal and the
nature of the discussion was not dis
closed beyond the intimation that Mr..
Roosevelt, whose recommendation to
Congress led to the establishment Of
the F. C. C. to regulate the wires as
we'll as radio, was keenly aware Of the
communications situation generally
and was following the work Of his
commission closely.
Appointments to Be Revealed.
Shortly after Labor day the re-
mainder of the non-civil service ex-
ecutive appointments to its staff will
be made known as the r. c. C. plunges
into the mass of detail facing it Ia
| its newly assigned task Of regulating
interstate and international wire and
wireless communications. Before ad-
| journing the r. C. c. also retained
the full clerical staff of the old Radio
Commission and placed 1t on the
permanent pay roll.
DR.. c. B. Jolliffe, one-time Bureau
Of Standards scientist and for the
last three years chief engineer of the
Radio Commission, was appointed to
the $4,000 chief engineers post. His
three $500 aides will be Andrew D
Ring, former senior broadcast en-
gineer of the Radio Commission
| placed in charge of engineering in
the broadcast division; Lieut.. e. K,
Jett, former assistant chief engineer
of the Radio Commission, in charge
Of the telegraph divisions engineering
section, and William G. H. Finch OF
New York, chief engineer Of the
Hearst radio subsidiaries, appointed to
take charge of the telephone divisions
engineering section.
Mr.. Ring succeeds v. Ford Greaves
his former Radio Commission chief
who, at his own request, has been
assigned to the San Francisco ofice OF
the field force. Lieut.. Jett, q retired
naval oficer, won his post for his
work in the short-wave field, which
he will continue to handle in addi-
ton to his new wire-telegraph duties
Mr.. Finch is newcomer to Wash
ington official circles; he is q widely
known radio engineer. and inventor
one of his recent inventions being q
system of radiS-operated typewriters
Gross to Be Elevated.
The promotions included the eleva-
ton of Gerald C. Gross, international
radio authority of the old commission.
to the rank of principal engineer. AL
the other engineers were reappointed
and the r. G. c. also implemented
it's engineering staff by appointing
Paul Lyons Of Charleston, 8. c., a
1929 Annapolis graduate and former
naval oficer; 3. j. Shimeall Of Chi
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Aeronautics, and James p. Buchanan,
/ jr., son of the Representative from
Brennan, Tex. AL are qualified
technicians.
Except for the promotion Of John
Reynolds Of Minneapolis, former as
sistant secretary of the Radio Com
mission. to the same post with the
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naming Of three lawyers and an ex-
aminer. the commission held over until
after Labor day the other major nom
civil service appointments.
These include the three $500 legal
assistants to Chief Counsel Paul D. P
Spearman and the three $500
division directors. The latter will be
virtually secretaries Of the auton-
omous divisions into which the F. C. C
cast, telephone and telegraph div-
sions. For one. OF the legal posts,
George B. Porter, former acting chief
counsel of the Radio Commission, Is
regarded as q certain selection, with
Frank Robertson, now town judge
of Pelham, N. Y, q strong candidate
for one OF the other places. For one
Of the division chieftaincies, A. G..
Patterson, former president and chief
examiner Of the Alabama Public Serv-
ice Commission, lately assistant to
Senator Black in the air-and-ocean
mail probes, is seen practically sure
of appointment. Also strongly backed
for division directorships are John
Killeen Of New York, a former Cen
eral Electric Co. engineer, and Robert
BARLEY of Texas, now secretary to
M. w. M. Splawn, member of the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
To the subordinate legal staff, but
with promotions to $500 from their
old Government positions, the COM
mission has named Miss Fanney Ney-
man Of Butte, Mont; Albert Stephan
Of Washington, former Interstate
Commerce Commission examiner and
clerk of the Senate Committee which
drafted the communications law, and
David Deibler Of Lycoming, Pa. Miss
Neyman and Mr.. Deibler were with
the old Radio Commission Roselle
Hyde Of Downing, Idaho, was named
an examiner. The chief examiner
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