CABLE v. WIRELESS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20354, 10 March 1928, Page 17

CABLE v. WIRELESS.

NEED FOR COMPETITION. EMPIRE PRESS STATEMENT. (From Oue Own Correspondent.) LONDON, January 25. “ Tlie Empire Press Union regards with deep concern the possibility, now apparent, of cessation of all competition between wireless telegraphy and the cable systems,” states a memorandum by the Empire Press Union to the Imperial Wireless and Cable Conference, which has been sitting for the past week. The Tnemorandum points oat tfiat the knowledge that the average inhabitant of one part of the Empire has of conditions of life and natural development in another part is primarily due to the press, which exercises its influence in face of a relatively small public demand for Empire news and | very high cost of production. “ After Shears of comparatively slow and costly cable communications (the memo-; random proceeds), slow by reason of congestion and out-of-date equipment, the Empire has suddenly acquired a multiplicity of channels, affording much quicker transmission and at the same time lower charges. “The Empire Press Union has no pre-, ference for any particular system of telegraphy, but it is evident that the ments that have lately occurred in longdistance telegraphy are entirely due to wireless. Before the threat of wireless competition the cables showed practically no sign of development. “ Research and enterprise by the cable administrations should have resulted iii the ‘ loaded ’ cable and ‘ regenerator ’ long before wireless appeared as a serious competitor, and rates could have gradually reduced in step with increasing traffic, and the present ‘ glut ’ of telegraphic facilities would not have happened.” _ Apart from the traffic they have secured from the cables, it is contended that the wireless services already testify _to tha soundness of the union’s contention that lower rates create new traffic. So far as press traffic is concerned, the increase.due to lower rates is slow, because it is not possible suddenly to increase the consumption of oversea news by newspaper readers. But press traffic is increasing by reason of th© reduced cost of transmission, and would continue to do so at ap increasing rate of progress. The union reiterates its belief that it is essentia! to retain an effective element of competition between wireless and cable; “ During the cables’ monopoly,” says th© memorandum, “ there was complete stagnation, and, until the Australian * beam ’ opened, a message from London to Australia occupied, four to five hours in transit. Now a similar message is often delivered (by the same cable system) in 20 minutes. ‘Competition is the only explanation of this improvement.”