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Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 April 1925, Page 5

NO PROGRESS

EMPIRE WIRELESS SCHEME. POST OFFICE CRITICISED. FIRST STATION NOT COMPLETED

BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT

(Received April 1, 10.45 a.m.) LONDON, March 31

The attitude of the Post Office towards the Empire wireless scheme was sharply criticised at a meeting of the council of the Empire Press Union. Sir Alfred Mond said that when he, at the invitation of the Labour Government, served 'on a departmental committee of the Post Office to enquire into the development of Empire wireless, he , found the majority of the committee, who were civil servants and postal trade Unionists, clearly determined to do the least possible, and always im’pressing other members of the committee with the unimportance of wireless as compared with Post Office cables and 'telegraphs. Sir Alfred Mond emphasised that Imperial wireless was only able to be developed on a large scale if taken out of the subordinate position it now occupied in the Post f Office. Furthermore, Sir Alfred found on the committee a great lack of appreciation of the Imperial aspect of the subject. Lord Burnham said he almost despaired of anything satisfactory coming from the present attempt to run the wireless through the Post Office. He had just declined to continue his membership on the advisory committee of the Post Office because it was a waste of time and an imposition on the public. Sir Robert Donald said that the highpower station which Sir L. Worthington Evans hoped would be open twelve months ago, was not yet completed, but would probably be completed this year; it was more than eighteen months behind time. The same thing was happening with other stations. A resolution was passed requesting the Postmaster-General to state specifically what he was doing to provide an efficient wireless’service,. when it, would operate, and on what lines it 'would be run. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.