WIRELESS FOR THE EMPIRE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18460, 25 July 1923, Page 9

WIRELESS FOR THE EMPIRE

END OF DELAY IN SIGHT. STATION IN 18 MONTHS. NEW- MINISTER'S PROMISE. By Telegraph—Press Association— A. and N.Z. ' LONDON, July 23. Lord Burnham /; introduced : , a deputation ■ from the ■■■ Empire Press Union , to Sir L. Worthington Evans, Postmaster-General. It was representative of all the > Dominjions. Members urged the pressing fori ward of an Imperial wireless service. ! Sir L. Worthington i Evans rep'iedV that the question was one of national and Imperial importance. It was imperative to ; evolve a workable commercial scheme. He denied that there . had been unnecessary delays. The points at. issue should be settled within a month, and after, that i there would be nothing to prevent the erection of a . high-power station which should be operating within 12 to 18 months. The Government's object ' in the present negotiations over the licenses was to ■ secure the enterprise with • the minimum of Government control. He hoped that the wireless rates would always be ! lower than cable rates, though there would doubtless bo competition. I • ;-..•; .

In reply to a question from Sir Harry Brittain, the Post Office recently circulated a return of the high-power wireless stations possessed by the U.S.A., France. Germany, and Britain. According to this return the U.S.A. possesses 16 such stations, France four, and Germany and Britain.two each. This is , sufficiently depressing, but the fact 3 are more so, wrote a correspondent in the London Observer. Long Island is Known in the return as one station. There are, in fact, two stations at Long Island, St. James and Coran Hill, eaoh of 360 k.w. primary power. Tuckerton also has a double aerial, and is m effect two stations using two separate wave lengths. But a mere recital of names of stations is meaningless; what matters is the power and efficiency. Thus, Germany is shown as having the same number of high-power stations as this country. A reference to the particulars of the tvpe of equipment shows that while the Nauen Station is a high-frequency alternator with an overall power of 800 k.w., and the Hanover Station 450 k.w.. Great Britain only has Oxford (Leafield), an arc station of 250 k.w., and the Carnarvon high-frequency alternator, with an overall, power of 340 k.w., includine auxiliaries and 260 k.w. valve transmitter. The particulars given by the Post Office refer only to this country and our three greatest commercial rivals. _ The comparison with other Powers is just as depressing. Italy has at Coltano a 500 k.w. arc and a 200 k.w. alternator, and at San Paolo a 200 k.w. arc. Poland has at Warsaw a 350 k.w. alternator which will communicate with the U.S.A. . Norway has at Stavanger a timed spark disc 'installation communicating with America. '•*.' Sweden is building a 350 k.w. alternator station for trans-Atlantic communication. Holland has an, 800 k.w. alternator at Kootwijk and a "similar station in the Dutch East Indies. She also possesses a 1000 kw. arc station at Van Doeng. in Java. It is understood that this station is to be worked at 3600 k.w. Even Soviet ' Russia has a station at Moscow, and is building another at Nova Zemlya. . Argentina is building, at Buenos Aires, a 1000 k.w. valve station, which will be completed at the end of June, and will conduct a service with Europe. ,