Page:December 1915 QST.djvu/4

4 The American Radio Relay League is purely an amateur organization. The exchange and delivery of messages is absolutely complimentary, and no consideration for transmission of a message is allowed under any circumstances. Regular radio telegraphic methods are employed. A sample of our official message blank is enclosed herewith.

The membership consists of middle-aged men, young men, and boys. There are many men of wealth in the membership, and who make wireless telegraphy a form of recreation. Many of our stations have had no expense spared upon them, and are equipped better than most commercial stations. The management of the League is in the hands of business men. The writer is the founder and chairman.

Some of our stations have already been of public service in establishing communications when floods have prostrated the regular telegraph and telephone lines. Our organization can unquestionably be of value in the event of similar disasters or invasion. A fire which happened to destroy the telephone and telegraph central stations in a city would stall communication. Our organization could fill this interval while repairs were made. Most of our membership is along the Atlantic and the Pacific Coasts. It is not impossible that we might be of value to our fleet standing off our coast in time of war.

We respectfully offer the services of our organization, and its facilities.

In response to this, we received from Secretary Daniel’s the following:―

Mr. Hiram Percy Maxim,
 * Chairman, American Radio Relay League,
 * Hartford, Connecticut.

Sir:―

I beg to acknowledge your interesting letter of August 7th with inclosures, and to express my appreciation of your patriotic offer of the services of the League in connection with the national defense.

The Department has a plan outlined for the employment of the services of amateur stations in time of war as may best serve the interests of the country and the Office of the Superintendent of the Naval Radio Service is in immediate charge of matters relative to the co-ordination of means of radio communication, so far as the Navy is concerned, in the event that the necessity arise for controlling and using stations other than those under naval jurisdiction.

I should be glad to have you address the Superintendent of Radio Service direct on this matter, stating as fully as possible what facilities in the way of personal and material you may have available and giving in as much detail as is possible the character of the organization, especially as to the method employed for the interior control of the amateur stations constituting the League.
 * Very respectfully,
 * JOSEPHUS DANIELS.

Upon receipt of this letter, we sent full information to the Superintendent of the Naval Radio Service, and he now has a list of all of our stations and will no doubt take them into consideration in planning Radio Communication from ships to shore. It is easy to imagine the importance of some of our coast relay stations in the event of anything happening to any of our big naval coastal stations or in the event of a warship wanting to communicate with low power so as not to be "overheard."

A similar letter was written to the Secretary of War as follows:―

Secretary of War,
 * Washington, D. C.

Sir:―.

In connection with your reported prospective program for increased National defense, your attention is respectfully directed to the existing organization of amateur wireless telegraph stations, known as The American Radio Relay League, Inc.

This League has been in working order one year. It has over six hundred actual radio stations in thirty-eight states of the Union. Except for certain gaps in the south, it is at present possible to transmit messages from coast to coast, and from points in Canada to points as far south as Atlanta on the east, and Los Angeles on the west by several routes.

A list of these stations appears in our official “LIST OF STATIONS,” copy of second edition of which is enclosed herewith. It may be that a record of these stations and the additional stations, which are awaiting publication in the third edition, may be of value to the War Department in any defensive program.

The building up of this League has been carried on with the full knowledge of the Bureau of Navigation, Department of Commerce. Frequent conferences are held with the Commissioner of Navigation, and his assisting District Radio Inspectors. This has maintained the League on a proper legal and official plane, and insured avoiding interference with Government and Commercial Radio work. In order to insure relay work long gaps, the Bureau of Navigation have issued Special Licenses to certain stations indicated by this League. This