NAB reports (Mar-Dec 1933)

and immediately preceded a conference at which representatives of advertising agencies were present. Representatives of the food trade met on April 28, and expressed general approval of suggestions for regulation by the Food and Drug Administration of false advertisements of foods and of other proposals to strengthen the act, according to statements by trade delegates after the meeting. Delegates of the drug trade, who presented their views April 27, agreed on certain suggestions for modifying the law, but were divided on other points. In the field of drugs, suggestions were made that the labels on all drugs be required to bear the full formula of the contents of the receptacle. Inclusion of provisions to prohibit the use of injurious ingredients in cosmetics was suggested. Another proposal was that all testi¬ monials and opinions on the value of the drugs must be signed. Opposition was expressed to proposals to license manufacturers of drugs, except in the case of producers of biologicals, arsenicals, and similar products. Probably the outstanding suggestion with respect to drugs was one that the United States Pharmacopeia standards and the Na¬ tional Formulary be abandoned and that a government commission be set up to prescribe the drug standards. A suggestion was made also that foods naturally containing harm¬ ful ingredients be prohibited, in addition to the present prohibition against foods in which harmful ingredients have been added. Conferences in general opposed the writing of standards for food and drug products into the law. The sentiment for standards took the form of support for administrative standards, which would be more easily subject to change when revision appeared desirable. President John Benson, of the American Association of Advertis¬ ing Agencies, explained in detail the operations of the newly created board of advertising appeals. It was stated that the Department has not yet completed its draft of a bill and it is likely that other conferences will be held before the measure is finally recommended to Congress. Hearings undoubtedly will be held when the bill comes before the Congress. CONGRESS MAY ADJOURN NEXT MONTH President Roosevelt is hopeful that Congress will complete its work on his emergency legislation and adjourn early in June. With railroad and tariff legislation and many other important legislative matters to be considered, some Congressional leaders, however, are doubtful if the special session can clean up its work within the next four weeks. Nothing official has been forthcoming on the question of reorgan¬ ization of government bureaus and commissions. It is understood that the proposals worked out by Secretary of Commerce Roper and his committee is awaiting the consideration of the President. While many rumors are current there has been no official information as to what, if anything, is to become of the Radio Commission under the Roper proposal. Likewise, there is nothing official as to whether or not the President will act on the proposals before the adjourn¬ ment of the present special session of Congress. MAY CHANGE ORAL HEARING POLICY While no official announcement has been made, it is understood that the Radio Commission is about to adopt a new policy in con¬ nection with its action on reports of examiners. Up to this time the Commission has been acting on reports of examiners without oral arguments except in unusual cases. As a result of recent decisions of the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia and also of the attitude of members of Congress who are interested in radio, the Commission in the future will not act immediately on the reports of examiners, but in every case in which there is any reasonable doubt, the Commission will set the case for argument before the entire Commission. In cases of default or where there is no reasonable chance of dispute the Commission will act as it has in the past. ASK FAN MAIL RULE NOTIFICATION The Post Office Department was asked by the NAB on May 2 to circularize generally among postmasters its recent ruling rela¬ tive to the forwarding of fan mail. The letter to the Depart¬ ment refers to the March 16 ruling of its Solicitor in which it was held that fan mail unopened could be forwarded in certain classes of cases. It has developed that postmasters generally are not familiar with this ruling and the NAB has requested that they be officially notified. WILL PLAN NAB COMMERCIAL MEETING Preliminary plans for the annual meeting of the NAB Commer¬ cial Section which will be held in connection with the Twenty -ninth Annual Convention of the Advertising Federation of America at Grand Rapids, Mich., June 25-28, will be discussed next week at a conference between H. K. Carpenter, chairman of the section, and Philip G. Loucks, Managing Director of the NAB. These plans will be submitted to the members of the NAB Commercial Committee for suggestions. ENGINEERING SECTION MEETING PLANNED Preparations are under way for a meeting of the NAB Engineer¬ ing Section to be held at Chicago concurrently with the Institute of Radio Engineers convention on June 26, 27 and 28, 1933. Detailed announcement of the program will be made at a later date. A. A. A. A. ANNUAL MEETING MAY 11-12 Radio advertising will be one of the principal subjects to be dis¬ cussed at the Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the American Association of Advertising Agencies which will be held at Hotel Mayflower, Washington, D. C., May 11 and 12. RADIO CHAIRMANSHIP VACANT No successor has yet been appointed to Representative Briggs, Texas, who died suddenly last week. He had just been appointed chairman of the subcommittee on radio of the House Committee on Merchant Marine, Radio and Fisheries. It is likely that Repre¬ sentative Ramspeck, of Georgia, the next ranking member, will become chairman of the subcommittee. HOUSE BILL CUTS RADIO APPROPRIATIONS The House Committee on Appropriations this week reported the independent offices appropriation bill for 1934 to the House. It contains the appropriation for the Radio Commission for the com¬ ing year beginning July 1 next, and the amount is $640,000, a reduction of $140,427 from the amount contained in the same bill which passed the last session of Congress but was pocket vetoed by President Hoover. The bill provides $20,000 for printing, not to exceed $1,000 for traveling expenses, and not over $338,000 to be expended for personal services in the District of Columbia. At the time the report was made, testimony given before the Appropriations Committee in executive session by Chairman Sykes was made public. In connection with the reduced appropriation, Judge Sykes told the Committee that it would be impossible to fill any of the present vacancies in the Commission. “We have a vacancy in the office of the general counsel, an assistant general counsel, a junior lawyer, and a clerk in the legal division,” Judge Sykes pointed out. He told of other deletions that will have to be made and expressed the belief that three field branches would have to be abolished. He stated also that the Commission will have to get along with two instead of three examiners in the future. COMMISSION REFUSES GEORGIA STATION The application of W. E. Bobbins and Maurice C. Coleman for a construction permit for a new broadcasting station at Atlanta, Ga., was denied by the Radio Commission on Friday and the license of Station WGST, Atlanta, was renewed, sustaining Examiner Pratt in his Report No. 469. The report of the Commission states that the applicants, “although given an opportunity to do so, presented no evidence whatever in support of their application for construction permit. A motion was made by the Commission counsel, and joined in by counsel for WGST, that said application be denied as in cases of default.” Application for license renewal for Station WGST came to hearing only because of the application for the new station and ■ Page 34 ■