INTERESTING TOPICS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1223, 4 September 1911, Page 5

INTERESTING TOPICS.

DEALT WITH BY THE PRIME MINISTER. IMPERIAL AND COLONIAL. A number of topics of current interest were tonched tipoa by the Primo Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) in the course of a speech at the. Wellington Letter Carriers' social on Saturday night. Amongst other important ■ subjects on the order paper at the Imperial Conference, ho said, was that of universal postago stamps for the Empire. He had held tho opinion very. strongly that it would 1)0 a great mistake for tho different parts of the Einpiro to liavo tho same post ago stamps. lie held that tluo individuality of each section of tho liiupiro should ba preserved in this as in other respects. (Hear, hear.) Although tho. mutter of this universal stamp had not como up for discussion at tho confcrencc, ho had put ou record his objection to it. Civil Servants to Interchange. There was amother matter that directly and indirectly, affected cveryono in tho country. There had now been established a propositi by which there would bo nn.exchange of Civil Servants between Britain and New Zealand, and ho know 110 reason why members of the postal and telegraph service should not chaugo placca with postal servants i,n tho United Kingdom. Ho did not altogether advocate a universally uniform scrvico for tho Empire, but it W'as desirable that tho people should havo tile very bast system possible, Tho interchange proposed would cnublo tho Old Country to learn from us —and there were manythings they could take from tis, with advantage—and wo from them. English Mails Transit, Matters affecting tho carriago of mails between New Zealand and the Old Country were referred to briefly by the Primo Minister. The Vancouver route, ho said, was practically settled upon as the bust. Wo now had our own steamers trading there, and one of the finest steamers trading south of tho Lino, flying tho Union Company's flag, would shortly bo added to the fleet—running between Vancouver and Auckland and to Sydney. Ho hoped in this respect it would bo realised by and by that New Zealand should not l>e expected (as we were at present) to bo the solo contributors towards this service, which was growing, and which before long would bo an exceedingly fino one. Indeed, thero would not bo a liner Eorvicc in existence than this one. Penny Postage. A stop forward with penny postage had been made at tho Tmpori.il Conference. Thero was now a definite course agreed upon by Ihe British Representatives to get other countries to come into lino in this mat'cr. 110 had been twitted with sentiment in this matter, but it was a great business factor for bringing countrios into line, and ho instanced its suncoss in various parts of our own Empire'. As tho result of the last confcronco at Homo therf had been arrangements mado with Frauco and America, and it would not bo long beforo Germany, with her keen comnicrcial instincts, vcnld see thai 1 they could not afford to lag behind. (Ap plause.) A Wireless Link. All parties at the Imperial Confcronco, said Sir Joseph Ward, were agreed as to tho iniportanco of having a complcto link of wireless stations between tho Mother Country and the overseas Dominions. Wo would all bear our share of tho cost, but tho Old Country would tako tho main burden. Singapore mould bo tho central or transmitting station, and tho colonies would join in by establishing stations, so that the Empire would then bo in (ho possession of a chain of stations. This in tho event of war would enable tho different States of tho Empire to keep in touch with each other; "and," said tho Primo Minister, "there is no possibility of cutting a cable through tho air. 1 ' (Hear, hear.) lie referred also to what was being done in New Zealand, and to tho high-pnwer station now being established on tho Tinakori Hills. "This station will bo so powerful," ho said, "that wo shall bo able to conimimicato with Western Australia in the quiet of the and in tho day-time with ships within a few hundred miles of Sydney. At' night timo wo v;ill bo .able to reach Sydney with comparative case and certainty." (Applause.) It was also intended to establish stations of medium powor at tho Chathanis and at Earotouga and to connect t'lio latter placo with an 800-milo apparatus with Tonga. This would link us up with Fiji. Tho progress in wireless telegraphy, and its establishment, had been so great that this scliemo could bo carried out without imposing a financial burden of any extent oil tho country. It was also contemplated, ha proceeded, that a station should bo erccted at Penrhyn, and at Fanning Islands. Ho had already mentioned the Chathams. This would link up Honolulu and minimise the effect of any possible interference with tho Pacific Cable. The import, nnco of this was obvious, as thero would be a complete stand-by across tha I'acifio in tho event of a break down on tho Pacific Cable; and this quite independent of the suggested wireless "chain" system \lith Singapore and Australia. Post and Telegraph Revenue, Tho Primo Minister went on to say that tho revenuo of tho Post and Telegraph Department of New Zealand was tlio highest of any country in tho world in, proportion to population. (Applauso.) It had exoecded one million sterling last financial year. This was ono pound per lioad of tho population. So far as could bo ascertained, no other post and telegraph department in tho world could show that record. He want ou to say that last year millions of letters wcra posted, in tho colony, and over ono hunired million were delivered; and nearly; - sight million post-cards wore delivered. During tho saroo period 24 million newspapers had also boat distributed. Ho wanted to tako tlio opportunity of saying to tho official head of tho Department tiow much, ou behalf ol tho public, ho appreciated the spleoidid work tho letterjarriers had done. He said this in fairaess to tlio letter-carriers, becauso thero bad bctva comparatively no complaints iu uiy part of the country about them, and this was tho highest tribute that could bo paid to them, and to their eenso of responsibility. A Now Postage Stamp. Reverting to tlio matter of postagd stamps, tho Primo Minister said that ha iiad brought back with hint from England tho design approved (out of two subnitted) by tho King. Ho was leading it over to Mr. ]). Hobertson (Secretary o! ,ho Department) on Monday. It would tlion. bo printed and circulatedA New Cablo. Tho Pacific Cablo Board had decided some time ago, ho prooeedod, to lay down, a new cablo between New Zealand aud Sydney. Tho Old Country was to bo a party to tho cable, and somo delay had occurred oicr tho matter through tho British Treasury. Mr, Asquith had given him an ussuranoe, however, that tho matter would bo reconsidered with a view to having tho undertaking carried out before long. Ho also desired to announce that it was not intended that tho cablo should jo from Doubtless Bay, os tho present ono • -which was laid to Norfolk Island and then across to Queensland. It was intended that the Doubtless Day statiou should bo abandoned, mid tlio present :ablo going thero should be brought I# Llio wostorn const and thenco to tho Auckland teleg-aph. office, through a pipe. Tho ivholo cablo work witii Sydney would Ihcn bo carried out by tho cable oflicc at Auckland, instead of at Doubtless Bay. rt'o would thus bo in tlio position of send- " > - ing messages from Auckland to Sydney with greater rapidity. It would be bettor from an administrative point of view, also, thus to hitvo Che cables laid right into the main city offices. The same arrangement. would bo carried out at tho Sydney side. In this way tlio oflicos would l>o in direct touch with each other—<ts direct as tho cities of Auckland and Wellington, mid communication would be as rapid. This would mean, among other Advantages, far greater dispatch in contMcrcisl telegrams. •