A PRACTICAL CONFERENCE

Evening Star, Issue 14627, 25 July 1911, Page 5

A PRACTICAL CONFERENCE

MORE WORK DONE THAN AT ANY OF ITS PREDECESSORS. SIR JOSEPH WARD'S IMPRESSIONS.. CHEAPER CABLEFAND AN EMPIRE WIRELESS CHAIN. [Feosi Oca Special Correspondent.] LONDON, June 16. This years* Imperial Conference will have accomplished more work than any or all of its predecessors. Such is the view of New Zealand's Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, as expressed to me in the course of an interview at the Hotel Cecil this morning. "As a whole, the conference strikes me as a thoroughly practical one," said Sir Joseph Ward, in reply to my request for his impressions. "The delegates have been verv much in earnest in their desire to bring" all portions of the Empire into closer touch- 'Not unnaturally it hesitated over a proposal to provide by legislation for some Imperial machinery to enable Empire matters to be worked jointly m tire interests of the whole. That, this will come, however, and before very long, I feel pretty confident. Since I_ submitted mv resolution for an Imperial Council the work of the conference, as we have proceeded, has time and again shown the trend of thought among the representatives of all parts of the Empire to be in the direction of having some properlyconstituted system that will operate ou behalf of each and all the parts. "This aspect has presented itself more especially in the course i»f discussions on several matters that, have presented great difficulty in the absence of suitable machinery to establish them on a satisfactory basis. . . .. "When the eouterenee concludes its proceeding I am of opinion that it will have done, remarkably good work, and this will result especially from the discussions on a number of matters that um.-t deve op in the future. Th* final result ot the conference- will be more wo-.* done than •it anv previous conference, or, indeed, at ■e whole of the conferences that have

•ceded this one." CHEAPENING OF CABI.K BATES. " \re you pleased with the advance made at the conference on the question ot, cheapening the cable rates:'" 1 asked. "Ye*; the progress made is very considerable." replied the Prime Minister. -The resolution I moved was earned unanimously, it extracted from Mr tlerbert Samuel, tho Postmaster-llrneral, a statement of what he to prepared to do in the matter of the reduction of rates. They are to 1» reduced by 50 per cent, across the Atlantic cables, which * a great step forward. And it does not stop at that, because if considerable reductions in the Atlantic cable rates are not effected in the near future a special conference will be held with a view to the promo tion of a State-owned rah!?, between Lugland and Canada. "This concession of 50 p-".' cent, means 6d a word for ordinary messages across the Atlantic. Mr Samuel also promises a reduction from 5d to 2W for Pre.-s messages. So it will be seen that a tial reduction Ins been achieved." WIRELESS THKOUUJOLT THE EMPiui:.

'•The resolution submiu.-d 1-y ivc regarding wireless station;- throughout, tho Kmpire was also carried. umHu r>n interesting discussion which to->k phnv l' iv ltritish Postmaster-l'lonera! outlined what his fiovenunont were prepared to do. _ "The girdling of ci,- Kn.p-.re by wireless .«tat ions includes I i !ui. Mnuapore. We?. Austro.ln. mrd N'"v Zealand. 1 pointed out in thr cou>-so f.f the statement that I mail? regarding (V. proposal tiat New Zealand was alr.-idy establishing a hiirh power station, and that Australia had a .-tatiou at Fremunth . n>.l a hign power on*, but one that would lairy a distance of I.COD miles at night time. I suggested that when that was made a power station, th«n ihe proper thing was for the British Post Office to provide the capital for the erection of the various stations in tho Hast, and that tho Singapore station, wiiicb. is really a link that requires to be created for transmitting purposes, should be j.diitlv provided by the countries concerned —Great Britain, India, Australia- and Now Zealand "Also I suggested that New Zealand and Australia should not be expected to pool either their profits or losses upon any of the new wireless stations excepting Singapore, which should he a joint ono in the interests of all. Ore;:t T'ricain would have, no inteiest iu the results of the stations established iu New Zealand or Australia, which would be used* largely for local purposes, as well as in the Kmpire chain which the resolution affirmed should be established.

•'ln other words, this means that we j are providing for our own wireless^ stations I in New Zealand, and Australia is doing j the same. And onr contribution toward* ' the Singapore station would be a cuniparalively small one- when the cost is ; divided between the various countries in- i frosted. . . ' "This is a very important proposition* which the conference has affirmed. It j means providing a wireless system along i the whole road'to England and the East. . which in time of war v.oiiid be invaluable. ; No warship could interfere with the wireless svstem, unless by the, destruction of j the high power stations in the respective \ countries establishing them. _ This con- j tingeucv is very remote, as in any case, ; in time of war, the stations would cer- ! tainlv be protected. ■ ■ , i "The- position now is that the British; authorities are going to obtain tenders for i the stations outside Australia, ar.d New i Zealand, and ihu:-e- will be submitted to ; the respective countries concerned. N'eces- j tcirilv the. authority of our several Parliaments "will be required for the Singapore , proposal. In the event of no tender being | satisfactory, it is underwood that the- Ad- j miralty would be prepared to u. : o their | tireless department to erect these- stations at the several points concerned. ! UNIVERSAL PENNY POSTAGE. j Turning to the discussion of the previous j dav on universal penny postage, Mr Jo.-e-ph | Ward said the conference a-thrmed a reso- | fction on the subject similar to the one j carried at the last conference. _ j "I pointed out," he continued. ' that in j tte interval between the two coiiioronces j Scgland had entered into penny pi bt age I with the United States, a-t-d (iennrny ! baa done the same. I drew attention to the fact that at the Postal Congress held in Rome in 1907 I predicted that teforo tho next. Postal Congress took pace- seme ot the larger countries would for teitain avail themselves of the- power jjivei., under the Postal Union, of entering into private agreements. I also p-oak-ted that as each one joined by agreement in Use establishment of penny jwsiage others would follow in their steps Tho justification of this prophecy is tho union already established between the three great countries 1 have named. "It is impossible for France t.-> stand out long, particularly in view of the fact that its great neighbor and competitor, (kimai.y. hat* esUhii?h?d penny with tlie United States. This "ill «m----j'-l I'ranee, for practical trade teasons alone, to follow ;n the wake of ler greatrival. "I ak*o drew the attention of tho conference to the fact that France had agreed it. New Zc-ihr.d sending its letters at a j-ciinv rate to that, country. That was ;:i;<-ther step fonraid. l'enny postage. - s y-.w ♦•stabli'.died throughout * the F.ntish Kmpir-v with one or two .small exceptions fiat are not ot any g-eat consequence. And re i ! i; only a muter of time before in.- world has penny postage, 1 su-grstcd t:iai it wouYi he luting that the Mother- ! ■,:-d. a-- the < i i-_ iuator. of the p-smy pest v.kiiin her own holders, -sheadd lead the \c:iv in its g--ni.-i.-d establishment. t'Jre.it U:i'tain in reality was th- enly War t.i this i:,?:i!g a« cotnpij.lud. 1 nrgul that the ivcij.wv of .-evennc within two and a-haif vea;.s' by belli Canada and New Zealand dem-onsi rated that there was no abnormal tost. The ivdueed rat-.- brought about a qitkk restoration of revenue- by the in-inrre-sporKlenee- that followed tlie rc.tlueiif.'.i ;:t two countries. The •;.-..-s were ij-jii.' clear. It iiw due to the <ct tho rate to such an exteni, .'•-- tiie public availed themselves of the

post office to a far greater extent than before. So that in my opinion the prospects of •universal penny poetago throughout thy world axe advancing towards its consummation. I ehould not be surprised, when the next Postal Congress meets, to find that one or two of the Continental countries that are at present standing out will have embarked upon penny postage by agreement with other countries."