IMPERIAL "WIRELESS."

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 179, 29 July 1913, Page 4

IMPERIAL "WIRELESS."

The last issue of "United Empire," tie' journal of the Royal Colonial Institute,' contains a note on the Imperial uses of j wireless telegraphy that should be of | special interest, in view of the sensation j worked up recently over the Marconi contract at Home. It seems that before the Zdarconi Inquiry began the Post-master-General appointed a Committee of experts, entirely non-political in character, to draw up a comparative report on the merits of the chief existing systems of long-distance wireless 1 telegraphy. The Committee started ite. investigations by inviting the represent* tivte of the five leading wireless systems —Marconi, Telefunken, Poulsen, Goldschmitt, and Galletti—to give practical demonstrations of their efficiency over long distances. But of these five, the Marconi was the only one prepared to respond to the invitation. The Marconi representatives gave a successful demonstation over the Atlantic between Clifden, in Galway, and Glace Bay, in Newfoundland—a distance of 2.300 miles. But none of the other companies could arrange for a demonstration at least within the time allotted, and the Committee accordingly reported that the Marconi system is at present the only system of which it can be said with any certainty that il is capable of fulfilling the requirements of the Imperial chain." So far as it goes, this k practically a justification of Mr Samuel's action in adopting the Maj-oni eyetem. But the Committee is careful not to commit itself to definite approval of the much-dis-cussed Marconi contract. For it suggests that the best course for Government to follow would be to undertake the construction and equipment of all the requisite stations. It will he remembered that the excessive charge for eqnipment

was one of the obvious blots upon the Marconi contract. Further, the Committee advises that Government should keep its hand free, and should retain its right to use whatever apparatus it thinks lit from time to time without incurring penal lira. For it is only in this way that it will be possible to combine the best features of the various patented systems and utilise for its ovrn purposes the various improvements made in them as soon as they are brought out. The Committee's report is certainly satisfactory so far as the Marconi system is concerned. But -the recent developments in connection with various systems of "wireless" certainly suggest that a matter of such far-reaching importance to the whole Empire might well be managed by a representative Board rather than by any one Government acLing on its own responsibility. The success of the Pacific Cable enterprise proves that such joint administration is practicable, and there is surely no object to which this system cou' i be more profitably applied than the establishment and maintenance of an "All Red" chain of wireless communication throughout the Empire.