THE USE OF RADIO HEARING BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE U.&. Conoces Senate. = COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE SEVENTY-FOURTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON S. 3954 A BILL TO AMEND THE COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1934 65217 APRIL 29, 1936 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1936 COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE DUNCAN U. FLETCHER, Florida JOHN H. OVERTON, Louisiana JOSEPH F. GUFFEY, Pennsylvania CHARLES L. MCNARY, Oregon GRACE MCELDOWNEY, Clerk ROYAL S. COPELAND, New York, Chairman DUNCAN U. FLETCHER, Florida II HIRAM W. JOHNSON, California SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA THROUGH THE USE OF RADIO WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1936 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a. m., in the committee room, Capitol, Senator Wallace H. White presiding. Senator WHITE. The committee will please come to order. This meeting is for the purpose of hearing those who may be for and those who may be against S. 3954, a bill introduced by Senator Copeland, of New York, chairman of the committee, for the purpose of amending the Communications Act of 1934 for the purpose of promoting safety of life through the use of radio, and for other purposes. (The bill under consideration of the committee is as follows:) [S. 3954, 74th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To amend the Communications Act of 1934, approved June 19, 1934, for the purpose of promoting safety of life through the use of radio, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 1 of the Communications Act of 1934 is hereby amended by inserting after the words "for the purpose of the national defense" a comma and the words "for the purpose of promoting safety of life and property through the use of radio". SEC. 2. Section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof four new subsections to read as follows: "(w) (1) 'Ship' or 'vessel' includes every description of water craft or other artificial contrivance, except aircraft, used or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water. "(2) A ship shall be considered a passenger ship if it carries more than twelve passengers. "(3) A cargo ship means any ship not a passenger ship. "(x) ‘Auto-alarm' means an automatic alarm receiver in operating condition which complies with the requirements of the General Radio Regulations annexed to the International Telecommunication Convention in force, and which, on a ship of the United States, has been approved by the Commission, and on a foreign ship, has been approved by the country to which the ship belongs, provided such country is a party to the International Telecommunication Convention and General Radio Regulations annexed thereto in force. “(y) (1) For the purpose of part II of title III, a 'qualified operator' or 'operator' on a foreign ship means a person holding a certificate as such complying with the provisions of the General Radio Regulations annexed to the International Telecommunication Convention in force. "(2) For the purpose of part II of title III, a ‘qualified operator' or 'operator' on a ship of the United States means a person holding a radio operator's license of the proper class, as prescribed and issued by the Commission. "(z) 'Harbor' or 'port' means and includes harbors and places properly so called, whether proclaimed public or not and whether natural or artificial, to which ships may resort to load or unload goods or passengers." 1 |