PACIFIC WIRELESS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 703, 31 December 1909, Page 5

PACIFIC WIRELESS.

. SIX STATIONS. UNKING WITH AUSTRALIA AND THE ISLANDS. i AN ALL-RED INSTALLATION. i , t By Tclecraph-Press Association -Ooryneht * 1 ' Melbourne, December 30 R The roport of tho Wireless Telegraphy r Conference, at which'tho Commonwealth, i New Zealand, and tho Bntish Western T Pacifio woro represented, has been pub- t liihed. I It recommends tho establishment of six j. wireless stations-one m New South s Wales, at Sydney; ono in Now Zealand, at Doubtless Bay (the Pacifio cablo sta- { North Auckland); and four in the r Pacific. > l The Pacific stations will be- (1) Suva, <] in Fiji; (2) m the New Hebrides (some t 700 miles west of Fiji) 1 ; (3) on Ocean 0 Island (near Gilbert Archipelago, about t 1300 miles north-north-west of Fiji); (4) t m the Solomon Islands (some HOO miles i nortli-wc3t of Fiji). x The stations at Sydney, Doubtless Bay, and Suva will bo high-power stations, I tho other three will bo medium-power J stations. G [Tho appended text of the resolutions I makes it clear that Sydney is to be nble to commumcato to Doubtless Bay, and I Doubtless Bay to Suya; and Suva in turn will communicate with tho three j lesser-power stations.] I Tho Conference recommends that the I fchemo of Pacifio vreless telegraphy proposed by tho Paci£o Radio-Telegraphy Company should not bo adopted. Tho system should be under State control. < It is proposed that tho Commonwealth i and Now Zealand should bear the ex- t penses of their own installations (Sydney { and Doubtless Bay), tho cost of other + stations to bo borne by the Imperial and t Commonwealth Governments, Now Zea- s land contributing one-eixth (estimated at ! •£2000) towards tho cost of the Suva sta- , bon. c It i 3 estimated' that tho Pacific cable { will receive £1125 annually through the wireless feeders. )

THE RESOLUTIONS. DETAILS OF THE JOINT SCHEME. 'Bj-tho'courtesy of tho Prime Minister Sir Josoph Ward) wo are able to publish tho lollowing message which was recently forwarded by Mr. Deatan, Pnmo limster of the Commonwealth, to the JNew Zealand Go\ernmont.— The resolutions passed at tho Wireless telegraphy Conferonco wero as follow— (1.) That high power wireloss stations be provided, maintained t and operated at, or near, Sydney, in Now South Wales, at, or near, Doubtless Bay, in New Zealand, and at, or near, Suva, in Fiji. (2.) That it is desirable that a system of wireless telegraphy be established to connect the groups of islands under British protection with the Commonwealth of Australia and the Dominion of Now Zeaand, and tho headquarters for the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific at Fiji, and that for this purposo it ls'desirable that in addition to thoso stations named in the first resolution wireless stalons Dβ established at Tula&i (Solomon Islands), Ocean Island (Gilbert Archipelago), and Vila (New Hebrides). Instead of /Private Control. (3.) That having heard Mr.'Hamilton in regard to his Ttho Pacific Radio-Tele-graphy Company's) proposals, the conference does not leel justified m recommending to tho Governments | concerned that the concessions asked for by the company be granted.™*-*) <hnnv >*.' > > i (4.) That it is desirable that any service of wireless telegraphy established to serve the requirements of the British Western Pacific bo established and mainaineds undor direcf ' State control or through a State agency. ' ' (5.) That tho higher power stations reeammended (Sydney, Doubtless Bay, and Suva) bo of such capacity that the station'at Sydney be capable of communicating with Doubtless Bay, and tho station at Doubtless Bay be capable of communicating witli Fiji, and that they shall >o able to receive and transmit waves up to 6000 ft. in addition to ordinary commercial waves '„ Allocation of the Cost. {6) That medium-power stations be established at Vila (New Hebrides) and at Tulagi (Solomon Islands), tho cost of establishment to he borne as follows: Two-thirds by the Imperial Government and one third by the Commonwealth of Australia, and the loss on working expenses and other annual charges to be met by tho Governments named m the same proportion; and, further, that tho question of concurrence nnd co-operation >y the French Government in the establshmcnt of tho Now Hebrides station bo leit for consideration' and action by the Imperial Government. (7) That the cost of. the establishment of tho station at Fiji bo borne in tho' iollowing proportions- Imperial Government one-third. Commonwealth one-fourth, New Zealand ono sixth, and riji one fourth, and that any loss on working ospenses and other annual charges bo borno by tho respective Qosernments in tho 6amo proportion, subject to an additional contribution being made by, the Governmont of Fiji if tho station is used in connection with the Deal Fiji sjstem, such additional contribution to be determined by arrangement *ith tho Governments concerned. (8) That a station bo established at Island capable of continuous communicat'on with Fiji, and that tho coot of the-station be borno in tho following proportions , Impeual Government twothirds, Commonwealth of Australia onethird, the establishment of this station to bo subject to tho Pacific Phosphates CompAiQ guaranteeing against loss on working e~b and other annual charges, including sinking fund. i (9) 'lhafc tho scheme of wiielcss telegraphy in the Islands of the Western Pacific as recommended by the conferonco bo embodied in an agreement, to bs arnvtd at b> the Governments mterosted or who desire to take part therein, and that such agreement provido for executive control and manajemont of such works by the High Commissioner of tho Government of Fiji, i .Obligations in Figures. Under tho complete'schemo as 'proposed and outlined in thc&o resolutions, the financial Obligations for capital expenditure would be distributed as follow.— , Imperial Go> eminent for stations , at Suva, Ocoau Island, New Hebudes and Solomon islands .£21,332 Commonwealth Government for fictino stations Fiji for station at Suva only ...... .£3,000 New Zealand for station at Suva , only „ £2,000 Total capital cxDenditure X 37.832 [Note —Tho figures do not add, but this is, no doubt, due to the fact that the third and fourth items are stated in round figures. Also, these figures are 'for Pacifio stations only, and do not includo Sjdncy, the whole cost of which foils on 'the Commonwealth, and Doubtlcsi Bay, tho whole cost of which falls on Now Zealand ] >- Thn representatives of tho Commonwealth, New Zealand, and Fiji have signed the report, and as far as tho finances are concerned undertake to recommend tho schemo for favourable consideration to their respective Govornmehts If jou agloe thtso recommendations will be foithuith mado publie. Tlie full punted report, with plan of proposed stations in tho Islands, will not bo available for about a fortnight. THE PRIME MINISTER'S VIEW. Sir Joseph Ward informed a Dominion reporter that tho matter had been considered by the Government, ntid that he had replied agreeing on behalf' of New Zealand, ne went on to say that tho •sahelne, would bo a very good thing fot New Zealand in every iva) An up-to-duto system of wireless telegraphy vvas now absolutely necessary He had no doubt that as soort as it was established all pas3"flK6i' ship l , running in the colonics would be equipped with Wireless apparatus.