WIRELESS AND CABLES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 4 August 1928, Page 7

WIRELESS AND CABLES

MERGER DEBATE LABOUR CRITICISM REPLY BY MINISTER Dnited Press Association—By Electrio Telegraph-Copyright. Australian Press Association.—United Service. ~ . LONDON, 2nd August. In the House of Commons, Mr C. G. Amnion (Lab.) speaking on the wire-less-cable report, said the Government's right to approve of two directors was no safeguard as they would be nominated by the cable companies. Thus their interests would dominate tho position. The newspapers in Britain were now in the, hands of five people. The effect of the merger would be that sources of news would be in equally few hands. Labour would in nowise he bound by any contract agreement tlv> Government would make arising from the report. Mr Amery, Dominions' Secretary, repudiated the, suggestion that the scheme was the result-of a deliberate and malicious capitalistic attack. First the Canadian, and then the Australian Government suggested a conference to discuss the grave problem arising from unregulated competition between wireless and cables. Unrestricted competition was likely to end cable services, which would not be in the interests of the Empire from the viewpoints either of defence or commerce. The conference concluded that the only efficient means of saving the cables and allowing full expansion of beam wireless was unitary control. There was no possibility of tho dominions partaking in an inter-Im-perial or inter-government unitary system. The conference therefore sought to obtain the advantage of inter-Im-perial State control by other means. The profits- of the merger company were limited to 6 per cent,, and above that they must be devoted to lowering rates on improving communication.?. This would give all the advantages of Empire-wide unity and co-operation as Well as the effectiveness of private enterprise in the interests of the public and Empire. The .creation of this Imperial system would in future be looked upon as a great landmark of Empire development. If the agreement had been made at Geneva instead of London, and between foreign instead of Empire governments, Labour would have held it up as an example of the fruitful co-operation between nations. The motion for adjournment was withdrawn.

Commenting on the cables and wireless debate, the "Daily-Telegraph" says: "The Government is fortified by the knowledge that the whole Empire unanimously approves the highly complex, and in some ways revolutionary proposition. The Opposition cries of betrayal and, ramp sound more than usually foolish in the face of such unanimity." The "Daily Chronicle" declares that while several detajls require examination, the scheme as a whole merits something very different from the Labourites' spiteful criticism.