WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2975, 22 March 1911, Page 7

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY.

THE MARCONI AND TELEFUNKEN SYSTEMS. IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS. (Fbom Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, March 6. From all accounts it would seem as if it may be sonic considerable time before wireless telegraphy can be established in New Zealand. The recent controversy about the acceptance by our Government of the German national system of wireless telegraphy for the New Zealand land stations will be fresh in the minds of our readers. The advisability or otherwise of adopting that system has been very much canvassed, and with a view to clearing up one or two points that appeared to be doubtful in the argument I to-day called upon Mr W. J. Hamilton, who is the Pacific representative of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of London. To begin with, I asked Mr Hamilton if the German system had been adopted because his company did not give alternative tenders for lower power. He however, was able to state emphatically that such was not the case. He said he had offered to guarantee 1250 miles at night with about 50 horse-power, and 500 miles in the daytime with the same power, but his company would not guarantee the long-distance communications in the daytime with the low power, because all experience had proved that it was impossible to do so. Communication in the daytime with the low power might be established over long distances occasionally, but it could not be relied upon, and it might fail at the very time when it was wanted in connection with the saving of life or in connection with important movements in warfare.

One apparently strong point against the Marconi proposals made by Sir Joseph Ward was that the annual working cost of keeping the high power going would bo so much greater. On my asking Mr Hamilton if he had anything to say in reply to this, he remarked that this argument had to be consider&bly discounted because it did not follow that the high power would have to be kept going all the time. "We put in units that can be coupled up," he said, " and we put in also a very fine accumulator battery that really doubles the power, so that under certain emergencies you could work both or you could work from the accumulators for eight hours without calling upon your originating plant at all." It was recently cabled that an arrangement had been come to between the Marconi and the German company, and this was thought by some people to mean an amalgamation of the two concerns. I learn, however, from Mr Hamilton, that the "arrangement" only applies to the matter of intercommunication between I stations or ships using the different systems. In regard to the telegram from Berlin in to-day's newspapers stating that Brazil is making wireless telegraphy a Govern' ment monopoly, and the German Telefunken Company has been commissioned | to erect six stations there, and that Argentina, Peru, Chili, and Uruguay are also taking the same steps and have ordered a number of Telefunken stations, Mr Hamilton says that the message was most probably inspired by the German company, and that the statements contained therein i must be taken with a grain of salt. " The Telefunken people," he added, " have ; been telling us that story for the past 1? | months, though we knew that they had I not got the concession. As a matter of fact," he says, " the Marconi Company ' has a contract for the working of wireless in the Argentine, and has already done quite a lot of work there." It is inconj ceivable, he thinks, that the German com- ! pany could have got behind this concession.

But the most important point seems to be that New Zealand should be committed to the establishment of the national system of a foreign nation, which at any time may be at war with Great Britain and her oversea dominions. Mr Hamilton points out that in time of war it is essential that the country's wireless installation shall be under one control, and capable of systematic variations in the tuning arrangement, etc. Such a fact has been recognised by the British Government in taking the coastal stations under its control throughout the British Isles. It is also demonstrated in Germany by the exclusion of all systems other than the Telefunken. In the event, of a country using its own system on its war and mercantile ships, but having the coast stations equipped with the system of its enemy, it is easily conceivable that the enemy would have a great advantage. Most' systems are distinguishable by the note of their signals. Therefore, the enemy could mislead their opponents by using a note exactly like" that of the coast stations, and transmitting false and misleading messages. Another reason why the systems used by the navy, merchant marine, and coast stations of one country should be identical is because variation of tuning for purpose of secrecy and selection would be necessary in war time. This could be directed from a central source by private code, but could not be effectively carried out except between stations using identical systems. A very strong bearing on this point is the fact that the British Admiralty compels the strictest secrecy to be maintained in connection with all naval wireless operators and equipment. So do the German naval authorities.

I gathered from Mr Hamilton that though the German system has been preferred in New Zealand instead of the British system, the Marconi Company is not going to take the decision lying down. It not only claims that it is impossbile for the tenderers to carry on continuous long-distanoe work in the daytime with the power to be provided, but it claims that the Telefunken system cannot be established in New Zealand without in-

fringing trie xvlarconi patents. Some 20 patents have been taken out in New Zealand, at a cost of over £7O, and it ia confidently asserted by experts that it is impossible to instal any commercial or practical system of wireless telegraphy in Australasia without infringing one or mora of these patents. Mr Hamilton further pointed out that it has just been decided by the German Law Courts, after two years' litigj-tion, that the Telefunken Company did not own the patent which it claimed to own, and that, as a matter of fact, the patent belongs to the Lepel Company. However, an early opportunity will be taken to settle the question of whether or not the Telefunken system can be established in New Zealand, and without infringing the Marconi patents. WRIT AGAINST THE UNION COMPANY. WELLINGTON, March 7. The Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of London has issued a writ against the Union Steam Ship Company for an alleged infringement of patent rights in connection with the wireless telegraph. system used on the company's vessels. HIGH-POWER WIRELESS STATION. (Fboji Oub Own Coiuiesfondent.) AUCKLAND, March 6. I hope to be able to arrange for tha high-power wireless telegraphy station proposed to be established at Doubtless Bay to be erected in Auckland, said the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), when interviewed last evening. " I cannot make a definite statement about it yet, as I want to have an opportunity of getting the wireless engineer's opinion upon the matter. Ii is quite evident, as a" result of the work that has been already done by the experimental station we have upon the top of the Parliament buildings in Wellington, that a high-power station established in Auckland, unless there are some engineering difficulties of which I am not awaire, will be able to communicate with Sydney and Fiji and other distant places without any difficulty, and there would be a considerable advantage from a working point of view to have the highpower station near existing electrical motive power, which would mean a considerable saving in the actual working of the station, and that is a very necessary point to consider in dealing with an important matter of that kind.