Broadcasters Ban Coughlin WASHINGTON. (IP) A sweep ing rule to prevent Father Charles E. Coughlin or other "spokesmen of controversial public issues" from purchasing radio time, ex cept under strict limitations, was adopted yesterday by the code committee of the National Asso ciation of Broadcasters. After an all-day session, the code committee decided that: "Under no circumstances will compensation be accepted by a station or network for time consumed by the spokesmen of a controversial public issue, unless the spokesmen appear on a public forum type of broadcast regularly presented in conformity with the code as a series of fair-sided discussions of public issues and when control of the fairness of the program rests wholly with the broadcasting station or network." OTHERS MENTIONED Officials of the association said its 437 members represented 92 per cent of commercial radio. While Coughlin's name was not mentioned in the announcement, E. M. Kirby, secretary of the association, said that during the long discussion yesterday Coughlin was mentioned repeatedly. Other names often mentioned in the conference, he said, were Judge Rutherford of New York and the Rev. Walton Cole of To ledo, O. Kirby said that Rutherford had attacked the Catholic church, and that Cole, who represents the Unitarian FellowshiD for Social Justice, had bought time on the radio to answer all of the public statements of Coughlin. The ban was applied in the midst of a hot struggle over neutrality legislation, durins which Coughlin has been vigorously opposing the Roosevelt proposal to repeal the embargo on arms shipments to belligerent nations. Association officials said they believed Coughlin may have contracts for radio time extending for "two weeks or so" into the future. The contracts can be fulfilled, they said, but after that the ban will take effect. SCRIPTS IN ADVANCE The committee, after declaring that free time would be provided for discussion of controversial public questions, "in accordance with the public interest therein," added that "all such scripts shall be required in advance for examination in light of the code." Chairman Edgar Bill of the code compliance committee issued a statement saying: In the absence of anv self- imposed policy tc the contrary, it is conceivable that some individu als or groups with financial means See BROADCASTERS, P. 10, C. 8 1