544 COMMERCE YEARBOOK
COMMUNICATION
International Telegraph Conference.
During September and October, 1925, the International Telegraph
Conference was held in Paris, at which all of the principal countries
were represented. The most important questions brought before
this conference were those involving change of rates and the changing
of length of code words from ten letters to five. The typical code
words in use to-day are largely unintelligible or unpronounceable
expressions, and it is believed that if only five letters are counted
to the word instead of ten as at present, a greater degree of accuracy
will result in the transmission of coded messages.
Radio.
Several bills were introduced in the first session of the Sixty-ninth
Congress, the principal purposes of which were to clarify the existing
laws and to regulate radio communication. No legislation had been
enacted by the end of 1925.
The Fourth National Radio Conference, held in Washington in
November, 1925, and presided over by the Secretary of Commerce,
endeavored to solve the ever-changing problems in the radio industry.
The Radio Corporation of America added a new circuit to the
Dutch East Indies, and by connecting with the trans-Atlantic system
at New York, now furnishes a through service to Holland. Although
the circuit to Sweden commenced operation December 1, 1924, the
official opening of this new route did not take place until July 2, 1925.
A high-power radio station near Rio de Janeiro was placed in opera-
tion in April, 1926. This station was constructed by the AEFG
Consortium, composed of American, English, French, and German
radio companies. This same consortium is now engaged in the ten-
tative installation of a short-wave station near Santiago, Chile, which
if successful, will undoubtedly result in a permanent station being
built in that country.
The Radio Corporation has accomplished some preliminary work
in connection with the erection of a station near Manila, and engineers
of the company are now in the Philippines on this project. "Dis-
turbed conditions in China have prevented the construction of five
contemplated stations and it is not known when work will commence,
despite the fact that some of the material has already arrived.
The coastal station at Galveston, Tex., purchased by the Radio
Corporation from the Navy Department, is now in commercial opera-
tion. Seventeen different departmental and commercial services are
now operating coastal stations for marine service.
The gross income of the Radio Corporation of America for 1925
amounted to $51,169,143, with expenditures of $45,431,937, leaving
a net income for the year of $5,737,206. The gross receipts of ship-
