The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-08-23

ven a member.
 The FCC has been in sore need of Q house-cleaning for several years, and In the SSB Miles had been at loggerheads with his cole leagues almost from the day he took ofEice.
 A former Arkansas lawyer with coal company clients, Miles was named Co the sOclnl security board at the behest of the late Senator Joe Robinson. The re. port at the time was that Rob- inson got him the job in order to keep Miles from running against him In the l9Se eicc- ton,
 On the board, Miles warred al. most continuously with his fellow members. The chief bone of con- tention was patronage. The board has been adainant in opposing the politicalizing of its staff and has insisted on selecting its personnel strictly on merit. Miles wanted to play ball with the job.grabbers on Capitol Hill.
 In Wrong All Around
 Friends of former Chairman John Winant attribute the able New Hampshire republicans re- fusal to accept reappointment to his difficulties with Miles.
 Miles also aroused the hostility of labor by secretly lobbying against the 0uffey coal bill.
 Miss Molly Dewson, Miles sue. cessor, is c distinct improvement. Although in politics for the last few years as chief of the wonen'S division of the democratic na- tional committee, she has had ex- tensive experience in welfare ad- Yninistration. She prepared the economic brief for the defense of the District of Columbia mini- mum wage law in io22. She is also noted for exceptional ability as an organizer.
 EGG Chaos
 The federal communications commission was recently dc. scribed by c White House ofilcial as the "No. mess of the govern. ment."
 Tn no other agency has there been SO much dissension, turmoil, incompetence and politics. Some of the commissioners are not } even' on speaking terms. When they have to communicate with one another, they do 50 through their secretaries.
 As . result of this personal wrangllng, effective regulation of the radio, telephone and tele. graph industries has begged down to where it is practically non-existent Vice Chairman Irwin Stewart became SO dis. gusted that he refused reap. pointment last spring.
 One cause of friction was the publicity seeking antics of cer. tain ofiicials. Chief source of trouble, however, was tho policy pursued toward the big radio broadcaSting chains.
 Several commissioners charge that the networks wield undue influence in the commission. Whether this is true or not, it is . fact that Che chains have got practically everything they want from the commission. Of the, 70 cleared channels In the U. S., only one is allotted to an indenendent station.
 Also, many small stations have protested that while the FCC iS strict in enforcing itS regulations against them, the big networks "get away with murder"
 House, Cleaners
 As early as last December the president told intimates he in- tended to house-clean the com. mission.
 The problem was 0 find . man to do the job. Roosevelt wanted an executive of the callber of Joe Kennedy, brill- liant chairman Of the maritime commission, formerly head Of the SEC. But months went by and he was unable to Ind an. other Kennedy. Meanwhile con. dltions in the commission went from bad to worse.
 Finally, several weeks ago, he hit on c solution of the dilemma. Craven, an expert technician and chief engineer of the commission, would be appointed to Stewards place. And while the search for c chairman continued, McNinch, one of the ablest and most couraI' geous executives in the govern.