WIRELESS AND THE EMPIRE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17707, 8 March 1923, Page 10

WIRELESS AND THE EMPIRE.

NEED FOR PRIVATE ENTERPRISE. TWELVE YEARS OF DRIFT. (raoat ora own cokbespondekt.) LONDON, January 26. A "Wireless Expert," writing in the "Observer," returns to the evergreen subject of "Wireless and the Empire." "However skilfully the facts may be camouflaged by official apologists," says the writer, "the public has an uneasy feeling"" that the Government has kept wireless telegraphy in its own hands, and has made a mess of it. Tho broad fact is indisputable that Great Britain to-day is almost entirely dependent on tho cables for its external telegraphic communications. Such wireless services as at present exist are so limited as—to quote tho phrase of a contemporary—'to leave this country in a position of wireless isolation.' "This state of things is an Imperial danger, and a grave trade handicap. At present, owing to the inevitable limitations of cable telegraphy, high rates, delayed service, and liability to interruption, the different parts of the Empire are ignorant of most of the events of prime importanco happening in any part other than its own.

"For the British Empire to oontinuc to depend on the cables for telegraphic communication is to invite disaster, perhaps to ensure it." An Extraordinary Story.

Why are we in our present position of wireless 'isolation? asks the writer, who continues to relate an extraordinary story: "Twelve years ago Mr Godfrey Isaacs, on behalf of the Marconi Company, put forward a schemo for linking lip tho Empire by wireless telegraphy. His company was prepared to undertake the work and to give tho British Empire an Imperial wireless chain within threo years of securing permission from the Government. The Government of that day decided that such a project was too important to tie left to private enterprise, and that its control and conduct must be in the hands of the Government. That was in 1910. For twelvo years tho schemo has remained in Government hands. Private enterprise has been forbidden to touch it, and to-day, after twelvo years of enquiry and report and experiment and negotiation, and, it may be added, a lavish expenditure of the taxpayer's money, the Empire is as far from getting a Government wireless chain as it was twelve years ago." Wireless Guard of the Pacific. "Twelvo years ago Great Britain led the world in wireless telegraphy. It was in this country that Mr Marconi carried in his most important experiments and secured tho most far-reach-ing developments of his revolutionary discovery. But to-day, instead of leading the world in the practice of wireless telegraphy, Great Britain ranks fourth or fifth amongst the great Powers. The United States of America, France, and Germany are certainly far ahead of this country, and the same observation probably applies to Italy and to Japan. Each of tho first throe named Powers has constructed and is working high-power stations, and is conducting a world-wide wireless telegraph service. As Dr. Eccles, the Government expert", truly stated, we 'have left tho United States, France, and Japan to keep wireles guard over the Pacific. Prance, through its magnificent chain of stations at St. Assise, has now continuous connexion with China on one side of tho world and with South America on the other, and Paris has become what London used to be—the riews centre of Europe. Germany is conducting a world-wide service from Nauen.

I "What is the explanation of this state of things, which must bo galling to every patriotic Briton? It is not to be found in any technical deficiency of British wireless engineers, for the wireless engineers of this country are equal to any in America, France, Germany, or Japan. The ono feature which distinguishes the development of wireless telegraphy in this country from its position in the other great Powers of the world is that whilst Great Britain has kept wireless telegraphy under Government control, and has steadily refused to allow private enterprise a i freo hand, the United States of i Amorica, France, and Germany havo entrusted commercial wireless telegraphy entirely to private enterprise. The Ideal System. ■ "Groat Britain, each of the Dominions, and India, require improved means of communication not only with each other, but with the whole of the world. To construct wireless telegraph stations for communication with tho Empire only is seriously to diminish the available revenue and usefulness of such stations, whilst greatly increasing the overhead charges. "The ideal system would be one in which all the stations in this country, Imperial and foreign, were so constructed as to be interchangeable. There are two strong reasons for this course. One of them is in the nature of telegraph traffic, and the other in tho physical conditions under which wireless telegraphy has to work.. Telegraphy traffic does not come forward to any one part 'of the world in a steady flow throughout tho whole twenty-four hours. It comes forward in spurts. While certain hours of the day are very busy, during other, hours of the day the demand for communication is limited. Under a co-ordinated system of Imperial and foreign wireless telegraphy, it would be possible to concentrate all the stations in this country on dealing with the traffic with any one Dominion during the time when work was heaviest, thus avoiding the Bcrious delays which are at present characteristic of tho cables. Foresight and Audacity. "The conduct of a wireless telegraph service requires to an almost unique extent foresight, audacity, and willingness to take great financial risks. These are qualities which, in the nature of things, a Government-controlled undertaking cannot exercise. What is required is that the administration of the foreign and Imperial wireless communications of the British Empire, being essentially a commercial undertaking, should be in the hands of commercial men who understand and are prepared to take the commercial risks. What it seems to me the Government cannot do, is to attempt to satisfy the wireless needs of the British Empire by a hybrid system of Government control in this country, working a hopelessly inadequate station, with private enterprise in the Dominions and India working high-power modern stations."