BEAM SERVICES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19896, 15 March 1928, Page 15

BEAM SERVICES.

GROWTH OF TRAFFIC. An entire wing is to bo added to the •xisting accommodation at the London General Post Office to cope with the increase of beam wireless traffic. At present. says the Financial Times, the Empire is linked tvithin a space of about 40 square feet, from which "Beams" operate to Bombay, Montreal, Capetown and Melbourne. In view of the vast distances over M'hich communications are maintained, and the heavy pressure of traffic, probably no Pest Office Department is served so scantily as the Beam, but that is simply bocause its success has been so sudden and complete. According to an official of the London Post Office, the aggregate number of ■words sent on the four "Beams" is a daily average of about 100.000. During the. week ended December 3 the total number of words carried was at the rate of nearly 35.000.000 a year. He said that speed had been remarkably good. It varied from 100 to 200 words a minute each way, with an average of about 150 words a minute. A great Proportion of the traffic was new. The London General Post Office, was concerned only with the "Beam" within the Empire. The Marconi Company had a licence to instal the service for any foreign company. Beam wireless services operating between London and New York, Bio do Janeiro and Buenos Aires constitute the latest developments of the system, which was inaugurated in England by the establishment of the Canada beam service on October 25. 1926, and which now includes services to 'South Africa, Australia and India. The new services operate to and from New York and Rio do Janeiro, although Buenos Aires is not at present equipped for transmitting by nenm to London. They are worked from Radio House, London, by remote control, the actual transmitting station being iit. Dorchester, and the receiving station at Romerton, says the London Daily Telegraph. are convevec| to and from Radio House by land line, and are transmitted at the rate of between 100 and 200 words a minute, the connection being direct in both transmission and reception. Press representatives were recently (riven an opportunity of seeing the new systems at work, and of appreciating the rapid and successful growth of beam wireless since its inception. Mr. J. Stuart .Tones, controller of the Post Office Telegraph Service, said that the immediate popularity of beam wireless had surpassed all expectations. It had now passed beyond the experimental stage entirely, and a steady and continuous improvement was anticipated. The Indian beam wireless, opened in September, was already dealing with a volume of traffic enual to that_ of the others, and all showed a rapidly increasing body of traffic as time went on. A staff of operators double that which had been anticipated was now necessary,.