EMPIRE WIRELESS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18347, 2 April 1925, Page 9

EMPIRE WIRELESS.

POST OFFICE ATTITUDE

PRESS UNION'S CRITICISM. {BT CA3LT. —rRESS ASSOCIATION' —COPYRIGHT.) IAIISTRAUAX AND S.S. CABLE ASSOCIATIO*.) LONDON. March ;u. Tlio ;tllitiitlo of tii'.' Po«t Office to wards Umpire wireless was sharply criticised at a meeting of the Council of the Kr.'piro Press Union.

Sir Alfred Monti sail that when he. st tin- invitation of the 1 .ahour lu>verument. served on the lVpartme u.il Committee of the Post Office to enquire into the development of Empire wireless he found that the majority of the ConmitUc, consisting of Civil servants •tiul postal trade unionists, wore olearedetermined to do the least possible, and were always impressing on other members of the Committee the unimportance of wireless eompared witn post offu-c wthles and telegraphs. Sir Alfred Mond emphasised that Imperial wireless was only able to he developed on a large seale it taken out of the subordinate position it now occupied in tho Post Ofiu-e. Furthermore. Sir Alfred found en the Committee a great lack of appreciation of the Imperial aspect 1 of the subject.

Lord Burnh.T.n said that lie almost despaired of anything satisfactory coming from the present attempt to tuu wireless through the Pest Oflice. ll.* had just dct'lin >d to continue membership of the Advisory Committee of the Post Office, because it was a waste of time and an imposition on the public. Sir Robert Donald sr.id the highpower station which Sir L. "Worthing-tcn-Evanj hoped would be open 1montjis ago was not vet. completed. It prohaldy would be completed this year, Wre than IS months behind time. The same tiling wsis hampering with other stations.

A resolution was passed requesting the Postmaster-General to state specifically what he was to provide rin efficient wireless sciviee, when it would operate, and on what lines it would be run.

Sir Alfred Mond added if wireless were to develop the Post Office must ccasc treating it as a subordinate service. Attempts so far to inspire the Post Office with enthusiasm hud fallen on stony ground. The principal Dominions were negotiating with the Marconi Co., and while Great Britain had Government wireless, there was no corresponding wireless in Canadi or Australia. He expressed the opinion that it would be better for the Post Office oither to get out of wireless altogether or treat it as one of the biggest interImperial services. Sir Robert Donald said it would be decided within tho next six months whether Great Britain would continue with high-power stations except for naval and strategic purposes.