Commission

Last week the President conferred with Secretary of Commerce Herbert C. Hoover, picked well-trained minds of radio and one able jurist to reign over radio. They will form the commission, created by the White-Dill Radio Bill (TiME, Feb. 21) to rule for one year and have the last word in all disputes thereafter.

For listeners, broadcasters, these five men are tsars:

Rear Admiral William Hannum Grubb Bullard, Republican, blunt strong-minded naval veteran of two wars is the President's choice for chairman; he will serve six years.

Orestes H. Caldwell, Republican, is "the perfect radio fan." He will serve five years. (See below.)

Eugene O. Sykes, Democrat, gentleman-scholar, onetime (1916-24) Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi, knows little radio, will serve four years as the commission's legal mind.

Henry A. Bellows, Democrat, Harvard graduate and teacher, edited magazines until the Washburn-Crosby Co. saw in him broadcast genius, made him station director of their radio mouthpiece, WCCO at Minneapolis.

Col. John F. Dillon, Republican, old army man, radio inspector first at Chicago and later district supervisor at San Francisco, punished many a radio culprit under the old Hoover regime. He has the shortest term, two years.

The Senate received the appointments, confirmed Appointees Bullard, Sykes, Dillon refused to act on Appointees Bellows and Caldwell, failed to vote an appropriation for the work of the commission. Senator Dill, co-author of the bill, led the opposition to Appointees Bellows and Caldwell, said they are Mr. Hoover's henchmen. In back of the opposition to a Hoover-dominated commission is a disagreement on Mr. Hoover's policy in clearing the air. Secretary Hoover believes the large stations give better listener-in service and favors saving them. The opposition maintains that claims of large and small broadcasters should be treated impartially.

Later, the President gave Messrs. Bellows and Caldwell recess appointments.*

When the name of Orestes Hampton Caldwell, able editor,/- pratical engineer, appeared in the list of Presidential appointees to the new radio commission, radiophiles recognized his name. "This man is one of us. Radio is his hobby and his livelihood." Newsgatherers hastened to his home in Bronxville, N. Y., investigated. At the door they found a doorbell surmounted by a pilot light to point it out to late callers; inside they saw a household in which electricity is maid-of-all-work. Stoves, dishwashers, bread-mixers, all are run by electricity. No one need shout up the stairs; a system of house telephones is available. The household works, eats, plays to broadcast programs, for each room is wired for radio. In the morning an automatic timing device turns on the radio and wakes the Caldwells up to do their daily dozen; in the evening it turns the receiver off after they have gone to bed. Gas heats the house, but an electric thermostat regulates the heater. States Mrs. Caldwell: "We light the gas in the fall and forget about it until spring."

Editor Caldwell, 38, is the youngest commissioner. He is appointed for five years.

*If the Senate does not confirm their appointments when it reconvenes, they will get no pay for their services. Commissioners Bullard, Sykes and Dillon also will receive no salary until Congress reconvenes and an appropriation is voted for that purpose.

/-Of Radio Retailing and Electrical Merchandising, prosperous trade journals, not to be confused with popular radio magazines Popular Radio, Radio Broadcast, Radio News.