WIRELESS TENDBES. THE QUESTION OF COST.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 47, 25 February 1911, Page 6

WIRELESS TENDBES. THE QUESTION OF COST.

Statement by marconi compaxts manager. the government's decision. In yesterday's Post was published a statement by Sir Joseph Ward regard1 ing the acceptanco of tenders for the in- , fitallation of wireless telegraphy in New Zealand. The Premier stated, in the 1 cour&e of his remarks, that "the tender ©f the Australasian Wireless Company, ' Ltd., has been accepted, and the amount - of the accepted tender for the two high- ■ power stations, and for the five low.power stations is £25, 160. There were . two other tenders. These were the Lepell and the Marconi Companies. The ' Government resolved to accept the ten- . -der of the Australasian Wireless Com- . pany, as being from the standpoint of _, <the Dominion the most satisfactory one "in every v.ay. The Government fully considered the offer of the Maiconi Com- ' pany, which, for the same number of stations, was approximately £30,001) - higher than, that ol the Australasian. Wireless Company. This difference- in .price nude tiie jlarconi offer prohibitive." A reply to these ptatementa is now made by ilr. J. W. 0. Hamilton, manager and representative for the British Marconi Company for the Pacific. Speaking to a Post reporter Mr. Hamilton* said :—"'l: — "'I am very reluctant io comment on any statements which your worthy Prime Ivlinister may think 'Ht to make with regard to ths Governf ment's decieion in accc-pting the tender .for the installation of a foreign wireless system in New Zealand. It is not the desire of my directors to criticise the action of any British Government, but there appears to be come misunderstanding on certain important points in * the comparison made between the MarCompany "3 tender and that of the' 'Tekfunken Company's agents if the in- . formation reported in your columns is .correct. As the issues at stake are of ,jvital importance to my company 1 think t dt is my duty to make some explanation an fairness to our shareholders, >who have put not only an unlimited quota of the 'British 'pluck,' referred to in your subleader t6-day. but many hundreds of thousands of" British sovereigns, into developing and establishing the most, marvellous invention of the age, and one ?.that' has proved to be of the greatest importance, and to the benefit "Tpi mankind. THE SUGGESTION OF SENTIMENT. "I believe it has been stated that the Marconi Company has endeavoured to take advantage of the sentiment of a loyal British community to obtain its ■ "unreasonable price for establishing its eystem in New Zealand, but this is not floorne out by the fact if comparison is made on equal lines. The difference m jthe prices quoted for the Marconi and (Telefunken systems^ might appear startling at first glance, if viewed solely from a monetary standpoint. Comparison has been made on installations required to establish continuous day and night comtrivmication between Australia and New Zealand, and if the figures stated are correct, the position is as follows .- — 1 ''The Marconi Company offers to iustal a British-manufactured, thoroughly teificisnt wireless plant of 200 horse power, .■which, from the practical experience- of the Marconi Company's engineers, can • be safely guaranteed to maintain the communication required continuously. |The Telefunken Company offers for the same purpose a 70 h.p. German-manu-iactured wireless plant, practically of enly one-third of the power of the plant offered by the Marconi Company. In view of the fact that the Marconi Company offers an installation practically sthree times the power of that offered by 4hs Telefunken Company it could not Obe reasonably expected "that the prices .quoted would be the same, but in proportion to the size and power of the plant recommended for this particular v;ork. DAY AND NIGHT COMMUNICATION. "I may say that the plant we offered teas recommended by our engineers from* if any years' practical experience. Our price also includes royalties for cmspecial apparatus, which has been protected by letters patent in all the civilised countries of the world. From the 'Marconi's Company's unique experience in long-distance wireless communication ifc is we claim* impossible- to maintain continuous day and night communication over such a great distance as 1250 miles unless ample power and aerial capacity is installed. Intermittent communication can be established at night time with remarkably small power, and it is of this kind of work one reads «o much in the papers. I might say also in the humble opinion of the Marconi engineers, who have devoted many years to developing wireless, that the installation cf a comparatively low plant, ■which involves experimenting with new and undeveloped feature^, to establish continuous communication over 1250 miles, is attempting the impossible. iWithout any bravado I can assert that the Marconi Company is the only one m the world which has 1 established and maintained daily communication throughout twenty-four hours between two places 1250 miles apart, and we find ifc nocessary, and maintain that it is necessary, to have the power which we have specified to behind ths aerials. That we are attempting to trade on Imperialistic sentiment is entirely contrary to fact, as evidence by the experience of other countries where we have established our system. I might say also that the prices we have quoted for the New Zealand installations are lower than those quoted for any similar Marconi work in other parts' of the 'world. THE FOREIGN ELEMENT. "1 notice that it has been stated that the Marconi system is considered as much a foreign invention as the Telefunken. The name Marconi may be Italian, but the fact cannot be got over that Mr. Marconi resides in England, is the son of an Englishwoman, and his wife belongs to a distinguished Irish family. The Marconi system has been entirely developed in England and established by British capital and enterprise throughout the world. Its pat-eat .rights have been recognised and paid for by the Imperial Government, and the system has been adopted for the 'Empire's Naval, military, post office and light-ship services, also far the Pacific and other British island installation* in different parts of the world. The Indian, Canadian, and South African Governments have adopted it, and it is installed in over 500 passenger steamers, including the fleets of thirtytwo British shipping companies. The Telefunken system has been developed fay German engineers and German capK tal, and it has been adopted and subsidised by the German Government. I do not chink, therefore, that any comparison can be drawn on account of -foreign element between the British Marconi system and the German Telefunken system. "As the Marconi Company's name has been freely mentioned in the correspondence I have no hesitation in saying that I have discussed tho subject with

many of my friends in New Zealand, and it has been received with so much sympathy that I am not surprised that some of my friends have had their patriotic spirit so aroused as to give publicity to their feelings in the mattei'. I_ may also say that I have never mentioned it to anyone but who has expressed surprise iliat the installation of the German National system should be entertained by the Government. I should like to say. 1 too. on behalf of my company, that tho kindly courtesy extended to their repiesentatives by the Government's officer throughout the long negotiations in affording them every opportunity for discussing the matters is fully appreciated."