ROUND THE WORLD

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 49, 26 August 1926, Page 14

ROUND THE WORLD

BRITISH POST OFFICE SERVICE.

"By the efforts of wireless engineers and the British Post Office, the Empiro will shortly have the most up-to-date wireless equipment in the world," was a statement made last night by Dr. Eccles, Vice-Chairman of the Wireless Telegraph Commission, at the Eoyal Institution.

Dr. Eccles traced events in the organisation of an Imperial chain wireless communication between the English and Dominion Governments from 1911 to 1923, when, under the chairmanship of Mr. Amery, the Imperial Communications Committee gave a fresh impetus to the progress of this wireless development. As a result, or at least before the end of this year, Dr. Eccles said, the long range wireless equipment of this country would include the Eugby station, which is itself a multiple station, comprising two world-wide plants, one of medium range and a telephony plant of 4000 miles range, medium power stations at Leafield, Oxfordshire, and at Abu-Zabul, Egypt, and four beam stations for communication between England and the four largest Dominions.

In indicating. those things which were still to be attempted, and within reach, Dr. Eccles emphasised that there were important communities still unprovided with long distance, for instance, New Zealand. The urgent necessity of such provision had been emphasised in the Donald Committee. In the second place, preparations ought to be made in order fully to utilise these facilities. For instance, Bugby transmitted twice a day a general news summary prepared by the Foreign Office, and conceivably other news services might be arranged. "If I were a settler in New Zealand," continued Dr. Eccles, "or the owner of a small sheep farm in Australia, I should instal a simple receiving set and keep in touch with the world." RECEIVINa SERVICE.

This would imply learning.tho Morse code, and, therefore, in small communities, where there was a local newspaper, it would be more practical to pay for tho services of an operator who would decode all news messages and prepare them for the printer. In the Empire there were innumerable small settlements to which the cabled news messages leaked very slowly, and there were many which depended entirely for their news on tho occasional visit of a ship. All such outposts could now by means of simple receiving sets be made to feel tha.t they were within five miles of Meet street.

Another method of distributing the messages from Home was suggested. "When received in countries such as New Zealand the suggestion was that each should he announced, after decoding, through the local broadcasting stations. By the aid of these station messages could bo distributed promptly to nifllions of listeners. This could certainly be accomplished to-day by the mere organisation of existing facilities. It had always been obvious that the telegraphic traffic to and from the centre of the Empire would bo greater than that to and from any of the Dominions, for the centre had to deal with all the Dominions, all the Dependencies, and the shipping. The spokes all met at the hub of the wheel. Therefore Britain must make much greater provision than even the largest of her Dominions, perhaps tenfold. Definite recommendations for the erection of stations additional to Rugby had been made in the Report of the Imperial Wireless Telg=~ graphic Committee in 1924.