CABLES AND WIRELESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19833, 31 December 1927, Page 8

CABLES AND WIRELESS.

The disclosure that the Australian, beam wireless service is losing a considerable amount of traffic through "fading" putting it out of action for 12 hours daily, is an interesting commentary on the apparently enthusiastic reports a few weeks ago of its overwhelming success in the competition with the cable services. This is not the first experience of such technical imperfections, and although the cable message from London suggests that means of overcoming the difficulty will be discovered it is obvious that until a positive solution is found it will be premature to regard the cable services as obsolete. Previously, when the wireless service has been unable to transmit all the traffic entrusted to it, the surplus has been divided between the two cable services. Presumably, the cable administrations have charged their usual rates for this assistance, so that the wireless company, operating on a lower tariff —the margin is 4d a word on ordinary messages—has lost a substantial amount through having to pay the difference. These are points upon which full information should be available to the proposed conference in London next month. According to official statements, it is to be a conference of Governments only, and that being so, New Zealand's representative should be especially careful to emphasise the disadvantages to the Dominion of any arrangement between cable and wireless services designed to maintain the higher tariff under which the former are operating. The cable services have a legitimate grievance against the Commonwealth Government in regard to its so-called landing charges, for, whiie they are charged levies ranging from 2d a word downward, according to the class of traffic, the wireless service has only lately agreed to pay any such charges. But even so, it will evidently still have an advantage in that respect, for Mr. Bruce ha 3 explained that on the basis of 9,000,000 words it will pay .£45,000 yearly, which is equivalent to Is a hundred words, as against 16s 8d a hundred levied on cables. The need for an equitable adjustment in this respect will no doubt be examined by the London conference, but the fundamental issue is whether the competition of the wireless service is to be nullified by compelling it to adhere to the cable tariff. Leading authorities in the cable administrations have denied that wireless telegraphy has any permanent superiority in efficiency or cheapness, and that conclusion was endorsed by the Pacific Cable Board's decision to duplicate its equipment, instead of establishing a wireless system. It would be strangely inconsistent if they now endeavoured to shackle the competition, the efficiency of which has yet to be proved, and it is greatly to be hoped that New Zealand's representative will be definitely instructed to oppose any arrangement having such a purpose.