"Opportunity for Service"

If the larger radio interests were displeased with the amendments Congress put into the Federal radio law last fortnight, they were better pleased by the Senate's action last week in confirming all four of President Coolidge's appointments to the revivified Federal Radio Commission.

The radio amendments require the Commission to effect "equitable" assignments of waves and wattages among the broadcasting stations, on a basis of population in five zones of the U. S. The effect may be to cut the franchises of the rich, long-established stations in the New York and Chicago zones to benefit Southern and lower-Midwestern stations. But the bill's flexible language seemed to permit "borrowing" of unused waves and wattages among the zones.

When the appointments came up for voting, there was a fight over only one name, that of Orestes H. Caldwell, the New York commissioner. Mr. Caldwell had been criticized for accepting a compensation fee of $7,000 per annum from his former employers, the McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., for whom he edited Radio Retailing, to eke out his $10,000 salary on the commission. Also, Southerners and Westerners charged that he had discriminated in favor of the Radio Corp. of America, which operates stations flung from Worcester, Mass. to Los Angeles. The fight over Mr. Caldwell's reappointment was sharp but he squeaked through by one vote, 36 to 35.

The other newly confirmed Commissioners are Sam Pickard (Kansas), Harold A. La Fount (Utah), Ira E. Robinson (West Virginia). E. O. Sykes (Tennessee) was sole member and acting chairman of the Commission while Congress debated its continued existence last month.

Relieved by his reappointment, Commissioner Caldwell issued a statement. "A tremendous opportunity for Service faces the Radio Commission," said he.