EXHIBITION OPENED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18692, 24 April 1924, Page 7

EXHIBITION OPENED.

RING'S MESSAGE. ENCIRCLING THE GLOBE. OCCUPIES 35£ SECONDS. RETURN TO ROYAL HANDS. SIGNAL TO THE EMPIRE. Immediately upon declaring the Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park, London, open yesterday, His Majesty the Kinp entered the special cable office erected in the prounds and despatched the following message to all parts of the Empire: — I have this moment opened the British Empire Exhibition. CSgd.), GEORGE, R.I. The message was sent on from London westward across continents am| oceans ar.d was returned to the King, who waited in the office, in 35£ seconds. In that time the circuit of the Empire, and the world itself, -was completed. The special cablegram was received by the Pacific Cable Board at the chief post office, Auckland, about 15 seconds after its despatch from royal hands at Wemoley. By courtesy of the acting superintendent, Mr. J. Sherlock, its contents were immediately communicated to the New Zealand Herald. What the Empire means is indicated by a simple recital of the cable stations through which the King's message passed on its rapid journey round the world. Outward, starting from London, the stations are Penzance, Halifax (Nova Scotia), Bamfield (British Columbia), ' Fanning Island, Suva, Auckland and

Sydney. An alternative route used from Suva was via Norfolk Island, through South port, to Sydney. Tlie message "was then handed to title Eastern Telegraph Co. at Sydney and transmitted through Adelaide, Perth, Cocos Islands, Rodriquez, Durban, Capetown, St. Helena, Ascension and St. Vincent back to London. An alternative route . used was from Adelaide, via Port Darwin, Banjoewanjie, Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Aden, Suez, Alexandria, Malta, Gibraltar, and again to London. Most of the stations would be the distributing points for telegraph systems, as Auckland is for New Zealand.