EMPIRE WIRELESS

Southland Times, Issue 18927, 28 April 1923, Page 5

EMPIRE WIRELESS

DEVELOPMENT OF SCHEME QUESTION OF DELAYS (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright). (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, April 26. In an interview in the Morning Post, Sir Joynson-Hicks denied that the Post Office’s policy in regard to Empire wireless was in any respect dilatory. There had been delays but they had nothing to do with the post office which had to bear the sins of successive governments whose wireless policy was by no means consistent. Failure to proceed with the scheme of 1919 was partly due to the desire of the dominions to have more direct communication and partly to financial stringency. Ercperts accordingly reconsidered the problem and in view of the development of the high power thermionic valve they prepared plans for a British station double the size originally contemplated and capable of direct communication with Australia, India and South Africa. The post office immediately prepared detailed specifications and orders chould have been placed long ago if the new Government had not desired to consider the whole question afresh. Only last month the past office received orders to proceed with the British station and orders had been placed for masts 820 feet high,and the work of construction will be proceeded with as quickly as possible. He added: “I decided to make the power even greater than the Planning Commission proposed last year. The stations will be second to none in the world. Meanwhile the post office is operating stations at Oxford and Cairo. If they had not been completed substantial expenditure incurred would have been wasted. It was true Cairo was not paying its way. We never expected it would, but it is a valuable link in communication with the East. The Oxford station is paying all expenses, dealing with 80,000 paid words weekly and the press service is superior to any service of its kind in the world. The Cabinet has decided that private enterprise will not be debarred from providing wireless communication between the Mother Country and the dominions, but licenses have not yet been issued as the Marconi Company desired closer knowledge of the Government's policy and their counter-proposals are now receiving the Government’s consideration. COMMENT ON INTERVIEW. LONDON, April 26. Sir Godfrey Isaacs, managing director of Marconi’s Wireless Company, commenting on Sir Joynson Hick’s interview, stated:— “Sir Joynson Hicks, on taking officb, lost no time in conferring with us upon the future working of high power wireless stations. The questions which we considered and the proposals we made to him have considerable importance, and naturally require careful consideration, but I believe Sir Joynson Hicks will quickly come to a decision. The proposals are of a nature to ensure the closest co-operation between the post office stations and those we shall erect with a view to making Britain the centre of the finest scheme of world-wide wireless communications.”