WIRELESS PLANTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20022, 12 February 1927, Page 12

WIRELESS PLANTS.

QUESTION OE ERECTION. DISCUSSION IN COURT. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, February 11. In the Magistrate’s Court to-day Mr E. Page, 8.M., gave judgment in a case of great interest to radio men, that being one in which Graham Beaumont Ivlossingham, a .young clerk, was charged with erecting a radio plant without having procured a'license to do so. Mr J. M. Tndhope prosecuted. Messingham pleaded not guilty. Evidence was given (hat tho deputy radio inspector (Mr L. M. Steven) had received information that there was a wireless set working at 16 Hay street, Oriental Bay, and tile inspector had proceeded to visit the house. Tho landlady took him up to Messingham’s room, whore he. found a complete outfit, (lie earth lead going through a hole in the door underneath tho table and (lie aerial coiled up and hanging outside the door. It was only a matter of a few moments’ adjustment ic arrange tho set in working order, it was an example, said Mr Tudhope, of what had come to bo known as a “night aerial.” A certain section" of the public had adopted the practice of having aerials coiled up out of sight, but so that (hey could be immediately run out and attached to a post or a tree. He asked that, if Messingham bo convicted, the penalty be substantial, as a warning to others. Messingham stated that he had not the technical knowledge to connect up the set, even if ho wished to do so. The set had originally belonged to his father, and ho had been using it to run an electric (rain. His father had brought it out from Home, and it had not been registered at any period. Ho admitted attaching one end of tho aerial to tho chimney, but did n it intend to complete the installation until March, when tho full year’s license fee would ho due. Mr J udliope suhmitled that defendant should have taken out (he license before he started with the election. “But when are you going to say he started ?” nsked_ Mr Page. Suppose he puts a polo up in his back yard—l mean wheic, do you draw the line.?’’ “Well, sir, everything was there necessary for the receiving of wireless signals,” answered Mr Tudhope. Mr Pago: But suppose he had them in a case. The set. in its present state could not receive messages. Mr Tudhope; But it, that contention is sound everyone who owned a wireless set could disconnect it while not in actual use and so evade the payment of the license. “But not if you could prove that ho used it.” said Mr Page. Mr Tudhope held that it would he. almost impossible to prove such a case as tho inspector would have to land in a private house by chance ni tho minute the sot. was in operation. Mr Page said (hat it would he necessary to prove that at some si ago Messingham had creeled a plant capable of receiving messages, and that he held had not hci-u proved. ‘T want to mako it clear,” he said, ‘That the mere disconnecting of a, haftery is not in itself an answer to the charge, hut I believe the evidence of tho young man when he says that the aerial has never been attached, and file set made capable of receiving messages. I shall have to distress the ease.”