Evening star., 1934-03-13

have bulletins ana pictures produced
hour by hour, whether they be awake
or asleep. present or at work. but ready
for them whenever desired.
Foreign Nations Charge Fees.
I cannot even suggest the changes
which radio development will yet bring
In the daily life of the people. Its
glory is in its possibilities. and most
Of all, in its mass appeal. While the
telephone and telegraph are neces-
sarily individual and secret, the radio
Is necessarily public for all who will
tune in, and in this country radio
has always been free.
In foreign countries, under govern
ment control. every owner Of re-
ceiving set must pay q fee varying
from $3.50 per year as In England to
as high as $6 per year as in Ger
many. This means bootleg opera
ton of radio sets. arrests. fines and
even Jail sentences for those who do
not pay. OF course, they are free
from advertising programs, but neither
do they have the wide variety Of pro-
grams we have In this country.
! recall that In 1881, when ! visit
ed the leading countries Of Europe to
study radio broadcasting there,
found that there were seldom more
than two different programs that could
be heard in any one country. England
has a national and local program
In each important town. Although
on Saturday afternoon in London
at 2 pm. there was no program at
all on the air. In Germany and
France there are some times three
or four programs that can be heard.
In Denmark only one, and in Sweden
two. OF course, the listeners in one
country tune in the programs of sta
tions in adjoining countries, because
programs in their own country are
so few.
What is the result? With only 8
per cent Of the worlds population
living in the United States, we have
more than so per cent of all the radio
sets on earth. Our l20, 900 900 people
use 100000 radio sets. England
with 100000 people has 6,000.000
sets. and Germany with 67,000,000
people mas 4,oUU,UUU sets.
But the most important Of all ad-
vantages Of the American plan of
private ownership Of radio is the fact
that America has always led the
world in radio development by from
two to four years. Our plan en-
courages initiative and brings vast
expenditures for experiment and de-
Cd t4,,v,
equation in radio and avoids the red
tape and formality of government
supervision.
Would Aid Communications.
The communications comission we
are about to create is designed not
to create governmental red tape and
formality, but to assist the development
of the art of communication. both by
wire and wireless and make communi-
cation more universal both within
our own country and around the world.
Mans desire to enlarge the human
touch created the art of instantaneous
communication. Savage tribes devel-
oped the crude methods of the roll
of the drum and the column of smoke.
Sailors at sea have long used wig-wag
signals and soldiers on land all kinds
Of signal flags. These were material
and mechanical devices limited by
sight and hearing.
1t was not until man learned how
to make electricity enlarge the human
touch that the art of communication
entered the realm Of the mysterious,
the marvellous: I almost said, the
realm of the occult.
At first man harnessed electricity
to wire to carry dots and dashes.
That was the telegraph. Then to
carry the human voice along a wire.
That was the telephone. Then to