Evening Star Newspaper, April 13, 1930, Page 66

The Emperor Of America > ™| Copyright. 1930, by North American SYNOPSIS. Comdr. Drake Roscoe of the United States Navy fs trying to break up a eriminal band known as the Zomes, di~ rected by a chief who is called Head Center and who is said to look like “ Navclron. With the aid of Dr. Stopford, Roscoe makes his investioations. Deputy > Commissioner Burke of the police de- pariment locates the headquarters of the = Zomes, but the criminals have been “warned and have escaped. New head- “quarters are immediately set up. After ““a daring raid, which mets them millions, the Zomes operatives turn to politics. Roscoe has fragmentary information re- garding their plans. He takes John Wilberforce Wright, against whom their . @ctivities are at present directed, and Peter Champion and Pave Sutton, two wealthy men who have also been attacked, to Champion’s vacht. Burke o -and Ned Regan, a private detective, are aiso on board. Roscoe feels that there s mo safety on land, but that the sea wfters a requge. TWENTY-FOURTH INSTALLMENT. -6 T'S Interesting,” sald John Wil- o berforce Wright, and his face was lighted up by his famous smile. “But I'm still mystified. s Seems to me, Champion"— turning to his host—“that this pleasure ‘eruise is a frame-up.” . The party assembled in the saloon of Peter Champion's yacht White Hawk awaited the host's reply. Peter Cham- pion looked around the table. “Judge for yourself” said he. “Be-| fore a month you're liable to be gov- | ‘ernor. Page Sutton here and I aim to | make sure you are. There's Deputy ‘Commissioner Burke facing you and Ned .Regan on your left. Without wishing to be rude to the company on board, I may add that Comdr. Drake Roscoe isn’t here for his health.” - A sense of tension made itself felt. Dr. Stopford studied the face of Peter .Champion, jr. In spite of its youth, this was the face of one who had suf- Aered. _, “My son,” Champion added, “can tell you something about the Zones.” e Ah!” sald Wright. “I thought so! This short cruise was a frame-up?” .. “So far as you're concerned,” Burke broke in. “Sure! There was a plot back there, sir, to kidnap you on the eve of the election!” “To kidnap me!" “Just that.” ‘The famous politician looked around amazedly “With what object?” he asked. .can’t imagine—unless—" “7¢ vou're thinking,” said Burke, “of Brouwovu, 1 haven't a scrap of evidence at headquarters to justify such a monstrous suspicion.” “But there's nobody else my disap- pearance would benefit,” Wright per- sisted. “It's common knowledge that I'm known as ‘Number One’ and he as ~‘Number Two." Unless there’s a great block of dark votes somewhere, one of us will surely be governor. We are in no sense friends, and never have been. Rt ut '™"The idea is preposterous,” Drake Roscoe burst in. “A man with Bron- son’s record couldn’t possibly be in league with the Zones.” “They’'ve just raised $4,000,000,” Ned Regan growled, “in the biggest hold-up this country ever knew. What are they going to do with it?” “A member of the firm was concerned in the raid on Zone Headquarters, if I remember rightly,” Stopford murmured. . “Bronson Brothers’ office,” said Burke, replacing his cigar, “adjoined. Bron- sons’ were cleared at the inquiry.” “Funny, all the same,” Regan growled. “With all the arrests made, we've never got any nearer to finding out who Head ?Cnt?r is. And as to Great Head Cen- geite =71 short,” said Wilberforce Wright, u have conspired to snatch me out New York at the height of my cam- Paign, because—" ““Because,” Roscoe finished the sen- Eence, “if we hadn’t done so, it's a dead e:‘rux:t);‘_nronmn would be governor.” puf, vou dissppeared, who's to stop = “But I can't remain at sea indefi- Jitely!” “It isn't necessary,” Roscoe assured Aim. “The plot was fixed to operate yes- t¢fday. It won't be any use today. We avere almost sure we had it covered, but %o make doubly sure we shifted you out ©I the Zones for 36 hours!” —.I see! The politician smiled wryly. SBut are you sure the Zones don't ex- d to, say, the 12-mile limit?” “According to the only Zone map I ver saw,” Page Sutton answered, R hey extend beyond that!™ = At a point roughly corresponding in position with Times Square, but nearly a quarter mile below it, a woman sat be- hind a long, narrow table. Several ex- Waordinary pleces of apparatus and finfamiliar instruments lay upon the table, as well as a number of books, pa- pers, and opened charts. The woman wore a black velvet robe and a black allk mask. . A curious globular lamp fl%’, light, which was cast c] rovided the lownward in & manner that the rest of the lay in darkness. There was a sound of falling water, far off, like that of a g‘.um cataract. In the darkness before e table an {lluminated map shone, as it suspended in space. It was a map of New York City covered with & network of variously colored sections. It was the Zone map for which the police had searched in vain. i The zones—circles surrounding a cen- tral point which probably corresponded 1o the original headquarters—covered in addition to the whole of Manhattan, some parts of the Bronx, Long Island, Brooklyn, Jersey City and a considerable area of ocean. Now the map faded, un- 3 a plece of Staten Isiand and the tip wof Sandy Hook were the only points of Jand showing in a considerable expanse ©f sea. A red light sprang to view above map. ‘H. Q.” a nasal volce announced. TReport of Group Master I, Sector I, A. L aboard the White Hawk. Course Xchanged to westerly. Unless changed 3gain will be crossing steam line at 6:30 .m., 40.24 North, 73.59 West. All clear, ed 6 p.m. Report ends.” » < The woman at the long table studied E:' sectors of the map still visible. n: Ndflnpofi. of Divisional Chief A,” she “No report to hand.” “Report of H. Q. patrol covering.” *“Nothing to add to last report.” “Report of air patrol detalled.” “To hand. Groupmaster in charge of motor boat in which set out. In view of “weather last night, loss feared. Timed ;45. Report ends.” e There followed a period of silence. « . “Advise Zone officer detailed for spe- fal observation,” the woman'’s voice tdered, “to report positions of inward @nd outward steamers, with particulars. tor captain in charge airplane A is stand by for instant move. Trans- t this -order and connect the chief emist . . . = Peter Champion wandered the deck his yacht. He was a man obsessed | yo! two notions, One, the utter de- on of the organization known as Zones,” and, two, the elevation of Wilberforce Wright to the gov- rship. * ' He n(pzw believed that these aims Mere identical—that the Zones planned 8o defeat Wright's election. His walk ias elastic, for the old lumberman car- himself like an athlete. Abruptly promenade ceased. A deckhand was something to a lifebuoy lashed W | “If you're afraid, you have private rea- | slowed down. “1| By Newspaper Alliance and Metropolitan g:f:nndcd, “was that flash fixed to that as afraid, sir,” said the deck- . “I am poor swimmer; and if we! go down—" “What's our chance of going down?" ‘The man made no reply. i weather could sink White " the remorseless voice went on.! sons. What are they?"” Champion called the quartermaster. “This man’s_under arrest,” he said. ‘Notify Capt. Ransome.” more of this—when ‘we reach shore,” said the prisoner. ‘Good enough,” Champion returned. “So long es I hear nothing more of you while we're at sea.” ee of the women were on deck now—Molly O'Hay, Page Sutton’s daughter and Mme. Czerna. Champion drew Roscoe aside. “We're covered!” said he. “That man | was planning his getawayi” “S-sh!” Roscoe cautioned, “I never| hoped we'd escaped the Zones. Leave the position to me. He's probably a mere groupmaster. We should be grate- ful, Champion, for small mercies. We do know the official rating of the Zone officials!” “What's this!” Champion exclaimed suddenly. ‘White Hawk's engines had been ou will h “Stand by No. 1 lifeboat!" came a remote cry from the bridge. “What's this!” Champion repeated and started for the ladder. He was interrupted by his chief of- ficer. “No cause for alarm, Mr. Champion. Lookout has sighted an insensible man wearing a lifebelt, right on our course. I'm going off to pick up.” ““Good,” said Peter Champion. Everybody craned over the ralls, watching the rescue. The chief officer had gone away without a hitch. He came aboard as smoothly. The rescued man was insensible. He had been badly mauled by the sea. Exhaustion had re- duced him to a desperate state. “Oh!”—the exclamation came from Page Sutton’s daughter—“it’s Mr. Part- ington!” ‘The others recognized the victim of the sea. He was Hilary Partington. “Take him to my cabin,” said Dr. Stopford. & “Lou” John Wilberforce “Don’t waste time . . Bronson, ‘Wright's rival for the governorship, sat in his library. He had scanty, straight hair and colorless lashes. But his strange dark eyes held that magnetism which dominates. Given different com- plexion and hair, one would have said that Bronson had Napoleonic charac- teristics. For a long time he sat staring ab- stractedly before him. Then a phone bell rang. He took the receiver off one of ;he several instruments on the table, and: : & ezs?“ he said, adding strange- y: vz “Zomes,” came the reply. “G. H. Q.” “Head Center, New York.” “Stand by. Great Head Center wishes to speak.” No change of expression showed upon the pale face. But a new glint seemed to come into Bronson's eyes. Then: “Great Head Center,” said a woman’s voice. “Report to me at once. Discon- nect.” Bronson replaced the receiver and crossed to a bookcase, took out a vol- ume from the bottom shelf and then inserted a key in some hidden lock. He replaced the book, grasped one of the shelves and the entire section of the case slipped noiselessly upward, reveal- ing a narrow passage. Bronson step- ped inside, turned and lowered the con- cealed door, relocked it below and walked through the darkness for some 10 paces. Another door was opened, & light switched on—and he was in a dressing room. He sat down before the dressing table. . . When he stood up again, “Lou” Bronson, politician, had vanished. This was a stranger to all who knew the man. He resembled him, facially, but not in respect of com- plexion or hair. The Napoleonic like- ness was greater than ever now. At about this time a strange scene was taking place in Dr. Stopford'’s cabin aboard the White Hawk. Following half an hour’s anxious work. the rescued man opened his eyes, moved weakly, and looked up at the surgeon. “Where am I?” Partington whispered. “You're on board Mr. Champion’s wacht White Hawk.” Color had been returging slowly to the man'’s cheeks. Now it fled—leaving him as pale as when they had hauled him out of the se: “What time?” he asked. Stopford answered: “It's just after 7, shore time.” Partington raised his hand in a fren- zied gesture. "l\%}'l' things,” said he. ‘“Where are “Your kit's bein’ dried, Mr. Parting- ton.” “You know me, then?” “Somebody told me. I haven't hither- to had the pleasure.” i’l?l“ man was sitting up again, glaring wildly. “Do me a favor,” he entreated. “Get my cigar case! It sounds absurd!” His voice failed him. He was weak kitten. But some secret dread drove him remorselessly. “There are—senti- l'lil;;l&ll things in it. I should hate to “Good enough,” said Stopford cheer- ily, “but do lie down.” Out in the alleyway: “How’s the patient?” sald Roscoe. “Kind of funny, old scout,” Stopford replied. “He's peeved about his bits of kit,, Most odd. But what's up with you?” Roscoe stared at the speaker. “Come along to my cabin,” said he. In the cabin: “Look!” Roscoe invited. “I found this in the arrested deckhand’s box!” He placed a badge on the bed cover. It was blue and white enamel with a tiny diamond G underneath. “‘Group master!” Stopford murmured. “But why should this excite you? We knew it from the start.” “Look at this!” Roscoe held up a queer contrivance, “A gas-mask!” Stopford exclaimed. “Also in his kit!” Roscoe added. now . . . where are the things belonging to Partin, {k Stopford’s *expression changed 'sud- denly. “Dryin’ in the cook’s galley, I fancy. But—" ‘They were in the cook’s quarters in 40 seconds. ‘When they returned to Roscoe’s room, Roscoe threw a glittering on his bed, beside the smaller one. It repre-! 11 NEW STATIONS SEEK AIR SPACE Requests Come as Commis- | sion Tries to Fit 600 Broad- casters Into 90 Roadways. BY ROBERT MACH. As the Federal Radio Commission spars with the problem of trying to make more than 600 broadcasting sta- tions fit into 90 roadways of the ether without squawks and howls for the listener, a big parade of applicants who aspire to operate new stations is form- m!rm high-water mark was reached Wednesday. No less than 11 applicants from various sections of the country swarmed into the col lon And, although that board acts upon these requests as rapidly as possible, almost invariably denying them, there are some 200 pending. ‘The high record, by a strange twist of events, came just as Commissioner Harold A. Lafount was deploring the congestion in the broadcast band. In a speech Wednesday night before the “inquirendo,” & club of high officials of the Government, the diplomatic corps and professional men, he traced all of the broadcasting ills, economic as well as technical, to the jamming of stations into the very limited number of ether channels. ‘The commission has never seen the wisdom of an arbitrary reduction in the station population, although engineers say it is the only practicable remedy. There would be a tremendous repercus- sion from the “folks at home,” which would reach the commission by way Congress. And that is to be avoided always. Suggests More Elbow Room. All of the heterodynes and squeals that harrass the listener, Mr. Lafount said, could be eliminated if there was more elbow room. Broadcasting is not generally profitable, he stated, because of the flerce competition between sta- tions in certain localities, and has re- sulted in the presentation of “medicore 5 with an excessive amount of advertising.” Radio’s grasp on the F!cple, its powerful influence on public opinlon and a general lack of understandin; to the expense and obligations involved in operating a station are the factors which unite in the ever-increasing de- mand for licenses. There invariably is the idea that easy money is to be made in operating a station, and in some in- stances stations have panned out as “gold mines”—but they are few. Eleven Seek 1,000 Watts. ‘The applications for mnew stations usually are for small local transmitters although power up to 1,000 watts is asked now and then. For example, NE of my readers takes me to task for saying in a recent ar- ticle that engineers believe television won't amount to much for 3 to 10 years. After seeing a television demonstra- tion in Chicago, he wrote me the fol- lowing: “I am firmly convinced tele- vision is now with us. I have seen it with my own eyes . . . The sets 1 saw were console models, and quite similar to the usual radio set. There is an opening about 4 inches in di- top, through which the screen and pic- ture may be seen. A screen may be placed in front of this and the picture projected upon the screen. The effect is precisely the same as a talking movie. You see the picture on the screen, and the voice comes in over the radio. True, there are innumerable developments ahead, but these are more likely to be in the nature of refinements. The pic- tures are not as clear as they might be, and flicker as much as did the early movies. As they are thrown on the i screen they appear in what seems to be a sepia color. Yes, Mr. McNamee, tele- vision is now with us.” Well, I have seen television on a screen 14 inches square, and I am re- liably informed that the research de- | partment of a ]Il'fe company demon- I strated privately a few months ago tele- vision in color. But even with the 14-inch aperture, it was possible to show on more than the head and shoulders of the singer, and the color job re- quired ,000 circuits between the “camera” and the televisior. It was im- possible, of course, to broadcast it. It is perfectly true that you can get some- thing in the way of television today, but for the techni man it is in the experimental stage, and for the layman it is a novelty. whose appeal, with its present highly limited scope, would wear off over night. Many Problems Ahead. Engineers who have been through the mill, and have no private interests at stake, tell me there are two big prob- lems—besides a lot of little ones—still to be solved. One is finding some way to get illumination many times brighter than is possible with the present neon tube (so the image may be enlarged In scope to compare with the on the talkie screen) and the other is to find some way of transmitting on-a wave band that isn’t 10 times as broad &s the band ordinarily used by a broad- casting station. In other words, before as | television becomes anything but a_toy it must look pretty nearly as good as the movies, and you must be able to get as many television stations on the air as there are now broadcasting stations. And we haven't gone that far yet. Noise Demonstration. Even Floyd Gibbons, who has covered ameter on the front panel, near the | three of the 11 applications in the lat- est batch were for 1,000 watts. The odds are overwhelmingly against the licensing of new stations of this order of power, since virtually every State is over its broadcasting quota in “regional” stations. “The commission is continuously working on the problem of improving the allocation of stations,” he said. “It has been suggested by some that a large number of local low power stations would best serve the listening public. Others insist that cleared channels are wasteful and should be abolished, regional stations allocated in their stead. This would result in reducing the aver- age number of stations operating on regional channels from four to three per_channel. “I predict the day of even more cleared channels with stations not of 50,000 watts but of 100,000 watts.” (Copyright, 1930, by the Consolidated Press.) German Actress Engaged. MARLENE DIETRICH, a German screen and stage star, known as the “smartest actress in Berlin,” has arrived in this country under contract to Paramount. The discovery of her American screen potentialities came as the result of the recent visit to Ger- many of Josef von Sternberg, Para- mount director. = Miss Dietrich is said to have a cofn- plete_command of English, and after Von Sternberg saw her in George Kai- ser's revue, “Zwel Krawatten,” he en- gaged her for “The Blue Angel,” a pic- ture in which he was directing Emil Jannings for UFA. Her work proved so satisfactory that the Paramount con- tract followed. How the Britons See Them. ‘T seems that the British board of censors, like Will H. Hays, has not been idle. The London Daily Mail quotes the board’s report that some 300 films out of a possible 2,155 were found to pos- sess objectionable features, Only seven were completely banned. Among the points objected to were references to the Prince of Wales, un- punished crimes, scenes of cruelty and orgy, coarse language, suggestive speech and swearing. Of such dramas as backstage and racketeer melodramas, the baord re- marks that it “cannot help feeling that a continuous succession of them is sub- versive, tending to invest a life of ir- regularity with a spurious glamour.” Jones Family Time Changed. ‘The Jones Family, known in radio programs as “The Family Goes Abroad,” changes its time this week. It will move to Monday night from Friday on WEAF and network. —_—— Prohibition Poll to Continue. ‘The Prohibition Poll, the daily fea- ture on WJZ and stations, with Floyd Gibbons, word speed artist, at the throt- tle, will be continued until May 6. All-Vallee Program. Old and new numbers which have been presented during Rudy Valee's microphone appearances will be played in an all-Vallee program during the Sunshine hour Thursd: Nine Annduncers on Staff. Nine regular announcers are on the C. B. 8. staff, m’mmmfl. David Ross, Frank Knight, Don , PFranklin Scott, Hugh Walton, Ernest Naftzger, Mark Hawley and George Beuchler. Grainger to Be Guest Artist. i| Percy Orllnlfi,‘ghnm-mwr, will be guest artist wit > in, followed Dr. Stopford. The prisoner sprang ro!z ward. “What's your name?” Roscoe de- manded. “Manoel Vara.” "groupmneer of the Zones?” “Yes” “Why was a gas mask served out to u?” Vara’s twitching face blanched. “I_don’t know!” he cried desperately. “If I am prevented from leaving the SE' I am to wear it. I know nothing olse “You have been served out with an X radio outfit for this job.” Roscoe as- serted. “Where is it hidden?” “I knew it must bring me misfor- tune!” Vara sobbed. “It is in the prayer book in my box!” Roscoe started for the alleyway. “No wonder I missed it!” he snapped. the door, Stoppy.” the Nathaniel Shil- kret Orchestra on and chain Wednesday evening. —_— “C xion” to Be Broadoast. NEW YORK (#).—“The Crucifixion” will be broadcast to a coast-to-coast network from the WEAF studios Thurs- day evening. o e Outside the cabin a distant sound of ached them. ‘I’?lf Join in room. u in your Bwplor’du halted, stari tan Drake Roscoe’s face “Old man,” he sald, into their hands! The chief enemies of Head Center this yacht. We're 30 miles from_ shore and the nearest ship to count, La Patrie, is half an hour's steaming away!” (To Be Continued) —~ a lot of wars, likes peace and quiet now and then, but not even he often gets | it around the broadcasting studios. Gib- bans even went to the point of borrow- ing the most secluded room around the place—a good many. of our people don't even know it’s there—in order to a little quiet for rutunl the finishing touches on one of his talks. He had a desk and a typewriter moved in and went out for er. Half an hour later he came back, all set to go to work. As he flung open the door of the room he was surprised to see the place jammed with a con- glomeration of bells, whistles, drums, sirens and a_ dozen other things that 't been there before. Exasperated, he stuck his head out of the door and shouted at a group of porters down the corridor to drag the stuff away, as he had only a short time to finish up his work and it was in the way. At that moment, Raymond Knight, sometimes known as ‘“‘Ambrose J. Weems” or the “Cuckorr,” poked his nose around the corner and demanded to know what the rumpus was about. “Look,” said Gibbons, grabbing him b{ the lapel. “I get a quiet place to worl and this is what body take ’em aw: “Ah, my sound effects” remarked Knight, and without giving Gibbons a chance to continue, he went on, “one of the most elaborate pleces of appa- ratus we have ever gotten together. Look, I'll show you how they all work.” And for 20 minutes he did things to the apparatus, simulating trains, sub- ways, airplanes, trafic jams, fire en- gines, barking dogs, cats, tigers, ca- narfes, crashing glass, the sea, the wind and even the rippling of a_brook. As he progressed, Gibbons, unable to make hi 1f heard above the tumult, began to be interested in spite of him- ! self. At the end of the demonstration he had forgotten his hurry and he asked several questions that extended the 20 minutes into more than half an hour. And by that time Knight had to have the stuff moved into a nearby studio for a rehearsal and peace was eventually restored. Gibbons, incidentally, finished his talk before time to go on the air but it is rumored that Knight's “demonstra- tion” was merely a stall to keep from moving the sound effects until the end of & program in a nearhy studio. An- other item to be added to the list of ;leedl for resourcefulness in broadcast- ng. ns. Have some- 've got to hurry.” Telephone Operators Busy. Aside from all the activities in the broadcasting studios at night, the tele- phone operators have a very active ex- istence all their own. No one ever sees then?, but if anything goes wrong on the air they are the first to hear of it. The other night there was wire line trouble and a very famous program was off the air for a few minutes. Hardly | had the trouble occurred and the op- | erators been informed of the cause than listeners began to_deluge the switch- board with calls, Three operators were | busy, and as they handled each call | they fepeated mechanically: “The line | is broken; they'll be back in a minute”; | “The line is broken: theyll be back in | a minute.” But when one operator | lugged in on & certain call she didn't E;x\-:l a chance to speak her plece. “Hell,’ yelled the man at the other end. “I've just been told seven times they'll be back in a minute. Now let me speak to Mr. Whoosis.”” And Mr. Whoosis mpm to be a very high official of the Icasting com 3 At the time of the submarine disaster, when the whole country was wmlnambtufihlml for news of the res- cue att hundreds of ns a day telephons studlos with suggestions for raising the ship. Most of them were worthless, but to relieve the jam that ‘was making it impossible to handle any other calls the operators began referring every cne with a suggestion to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This went on for almost a day, when finally there was a call frim the navy yard opera- tor. “Say, let’s get together on this,” said the voice on the other end. “A lot of these calls yow've referred to us are calls we referred to you, just because we _couldn’t handle so many.” The operators between them to refer all future suggestions for rais- ing the submarine to a New York news- paper which prides itself on giving every telephone call thorough attention. I've often wondered if the operators over there ever knew the reason for the sudden rush of calls I hear they got. ‘The tables are sometimes turned on the operators. One night a man called in to ask, “Do you ever play anything by request?” *Sometime: admitted the operator. “Well, go play post office while I get some sleep,” came the an- swer, as the man the other end slammed the reeciver on the hook. A Way to Peeve Bass Singers. If you want to get a good bass einger thoroughly peeved, just let him know you think the only bass solos are such old-timers as “Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep,” “When Basso Profundo Sang Low C” and “The Big Bass Viol.” Be- ing a baritone,, I know how it feels when people seem to think you can't sing anly!hln( but “On the Road to Man- alay.” But one night, when I happened to be in the studio when Wilfred Glenn sang “Asleep in the Deep,” I asked him, | not very seriously, how many times he'd sung that particular number. “Could- t count the number,” he remarked nd while I like that piece, I don't like to sing it before the microphone. It seems to me it's been done too much, yet droves of the listeners keep asking for it and some of the others. What's a fellow to do?” Then he added that | while there isn't much of anything in the way of solos for the bass viol or the tuba, the music for the bass voice is just about as varied as that for any other voice. And to prove it he named over the 40 bass numbers from operas he_can sing without music. Bill Glenn, in case you don't re- member, is not only a soloist in his own right, but bass of the Revelers, prob- ably the highest paid male quartet in the world. He ran away from home to be a sailor. but gave it up after a few months, and later was persuaded to take his voice seriously. For a time he had aspirations to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, but he says that a friend who heard his audition would say, when it was over, only this “Bill, that was the loudest voice I eve! heard in a theater in all my born days.’ | Glenn is one of the few honest-to- | Moses microphone veterans. He has been on the air since October, 1921 And if you get to know him well enough to call him by his first name. don’t ever call him Wilfred. I don't know how well he likes it, but Bill seems to fit better. McNAMEE’'S QUESTION BOX Q. Who takes the part of the chief in the Johnson & Johnson program? And Grandpa Overbrook in “Real Folks?”—Harry M. Cox, Blue Ridge ‘Yllyed by Joe Granby. who has played villains not only for the microphone, but on the stage and in the films as well. Grandpa Overbrook is played by Edwin M. Whitney, who is also Judge Whipple in the same pro- ram. He is best known, however, for is portrayal of Capt. Jimmy Norton in “Harbor Lights.” Q. Can you tell me anything about Quin Ryan?—L. V. N., Woodstock, Iil A. Ryan entered radio in 1923 at WMAQ, and later was at WLS. He has been at WGN since 1925. Although he has broadcast almost everything, he is best known as a sports announcer, spe- clalizing, it seems, in foot ball. Q. Where was Jack Shannon of the Gossipers born?—Marion Bill, Platts- mouth, Nebr. A. He was born in Coventry, Conn., but he left there when he was 15 years old. He was by turn a bell hop, a pro- fessional boxer and a student of singing, and after the war he went into vaude- ville. He appeared in musical comedy before going into radio a couple of years ago. Q. How does short wave reception compare with the broadcast wave?—M. F.. Brampton, Ont. A. Short waves are best for long- distance transmission. Usually it is Alfficult, if not impossible, to pick up the very short waves satisfactorily at points near the transmitter. For ordi- nary use the medium waves, such as are used for broadcasting, are much more satisfactory, although they do not carry so well over very long distances. With a good short-wave receiver you might get Europe direct, but it wouldn't be much use for nearby stations, even if ',he)"i transmitted on the short-wave bands. Q. Do actors in radio programs read from a paper, or co they memorize their lines?>—Burton Felter, Washington, D. C. A. Actors always read their lines for radio. There isn't time enough for memorizing them, and, since there is usually no visible audience, it isn't | necessary to preserve the visual illusion. Speakers occasionally talk extempo- raneously, and I_have known Frank Moulan to run through most of the lines of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta without his script. But Moulan played in Gilbert and Sullivan productions for years, and that's another story. Q. Are the people who play in Seth Parker's program really from Maine?— John Skinner, Ellicott City, Md. A. Phillips’ Lord, who plays Seth Parker and writes the program, picked his characters from people he knew in Jonespo:t, Me.. but most of the people who take par( are professional actors who are able to imitate the dialect. Q. Are Alma Peterson, the singer, nd Curt Peterson, the announcer, re- lated to each other?—Mrs. Mary H. Peterson, San Prancisco, Calif. A. They may be very distantly, but 1 have never heard of any relationship. Q. What instrument does ‘Mari- ani play?—T. R. W., Girll’d.ngfifl. A. Mariani plays the violin, although he is kept so busy conducting and pre- paring p ims for his orchesira that he very seldom has a chance to play. One of his souvenirs, by the way, is a violin’ without a sound box, a sort of silent violin, if you will, that Hugo had made for him so he could practice with- out disturbing the neighbors wien he lived in an apartment house. It isn't necessary now, though, for he has a house of his own out on Long Island. Q. Do any network programs come from Canada?—Jerry H., Plaque- mine, A. Some have, and about the time this appears there wili be two new series from Toranto, I understand. The ad- | vance rumors, although I have no de- | tails, sound interesting. Q. Do you know if Gus and Louie cf Schradertown Band are coming on the air again?—H. C., Washington, D. C. A. I do not understand that there is any likelihood of these two characters returning to the air in the near future, but Arthur Allen and Louis Mason, who played the roles, may be heard in other programs, especially Socony- land Sketches, where Allen appe: pretty regularly, and Mason nearly as often. (Copyright. 1930.) PROPOSE STATE CONTROL Measure Will Affec’ Two Belgian Broadcasting Stations. BRUSSELS (#).—State control of the only two broadcasting stations in Bel- glum will become effective if the House of Representatives ratifies a national- ization bill passed by the Senate, The combined stations would be | known as the “Institute National de Radiophonie” and would be entirely un- der government management,. .. Good Friday Program. A Good Friday program on WJZ and stations the evening of April 18 will consist of Brahms' “Requiem.” Reinald Werrenrath will direct on ensemble headed by Astrid Fielde, soprano, and Walter Preston, baritone. Polish Music Features. Classical music of Poland will be played in the Around the World pro- gram, WJZ and stations, Tuesday eve- ning. Michael Rosenker, violinist, will be soloist. Polish Contralto in Recital. Constance Hejda, Polish contralto, will appear in a song recital at WBAL Friday. “Lonesome Like” on Air. A one-act play, “Lonesome Like," idapted for the air and directed by C. L. Mesner, is to be presented in the | Miniature Theater on WJZ and stations Saturday night. DODGE BROTHERS SIX AND UP, 3 F. O. B. PFPACTORY ECONCMICAL TO BUY, TO OPERATE, TO MAINTAIN The new Dodge Six, now lower in price than any previous closed car in Dodge Brothers history, fully lives up to the Dodge repu- tation for low operation and upkeep costs. Gasoline, oil and tire mileage is high, which means economical operation. 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