WIRELESS MESSAGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15549, 5 March 1914, Page 8

WIRELESS MESSAGES.

NEWS FOR STEAMSHIPS.

REDUCED CHARGES.

AN ADVERSE CRITICISM.

[BT TELEGRAPH. —OWN' COREESPONTIEXT.]

Wellington. Wednesday. The daily supply of a budget of news for passengers on steamers fitted with wireless apparatus is part of a scheme submitted by tho Federal Postmaster-General to shipping companies trading in Australian waters. Mr. Wynne says he is prepared to supply 400 words of news per day to all passenger steamers within reach of Australian wireless stations at a cost of between £20 and £24 a year to each steamer. This would mean a minature daily newspaper on each vessel. Mr. Wynne has ordered a reduction to 6d a word for messages to all ships in Australasian waters.

Interviewed concerning this proposal, the New Zealand Postmaster-General (the ' Hon. R. H. Rhodes), made the following statement : — The reduction to 6d per word, mentioned in the announcement, would seem to indicate either that the Australian Government has not fallen in. with the reduction to 5d agreed to by New i Zealand, or that u is not prepared to be anything so liberal to the public as it would appear it is prepared to be to the press. The basis of the charge, as set out, is an unworkable one. A fixed rate per steamer would be very unfair to steamers which were less frequently in wireless range. Some steamers performing regular intercolonial services are very seldom out of wireless range, while other steamers, which travel to moro distant ports, are . only in wireless range two or three days j per month. i "It will be found, for instance, that most of the intercolonial vessels between i New Zealand and Australia are within | wireless range of New Zealand, on the average, for about eight days per month, I and in order that tho present rate should ■ be collected, a charge of, say, £100 a ; year per vessel would be necessary. If such a scheme were contemplated by the New Zealand Government, the charge would have to be made upon the number of days on which messages were received. The present rate for wireless press messages— per 100* wordsis an exceedingly low on'-, amounting to but little more than th j ordinary rate for inland telegrams, and unless it iB the policy of the Government to expend the moneys of the State to a still greater degree on the circulation of news, I do not think the rate should be in any way lowered. At our present rate a 400-word press message would cost £1 only, and as vessels are within wireless range of New Zealand both coming and going for about two days, the average cost of the news would be about £2 on each trip. This is not an excessive amount. There is another phase of the question to be considered, and that is that there are usually six or more vessels within wireless range at one time, and the sending of 400 words of press matter to every one of these vessels would fairly affectively block the transmission of private or other messages, particularly with outgoing boats, which were gradually getting out of range."