CABLE SERVICES INCREASE

Southland Times, Issue 22898, 25 May 1936, Page 7

CABLE SERVICES INCREASE

Foreign Competition

London, May 22. Mr J. C. Denison-Pender, at the annual meeting of Cables and Wireless, Limited, of which he is managing director, emphasized the ever-increas-ing competition of wireless services, of which 150 had been established since 1928, chiefly by foreign countries, and many at uneconomic rates, for the purpose of fostering foreign trade. For instance, he said, Italy had undertaken to subsidize a company for 40 years. The Government also specially facilitated the collection of traffic and repairs to cables. He added that the gravity of the position was aggravated by continual proposals to inaugurate direct foreign wireless with Empire points where adequate cables existed. Such services frustrated their objects. The Cable Conference of 1929 had endeavoured to attain, moreover, the maintenance of efficient cables essential in view of Imperial defence. He added that the Government had refused to convene Imperial cable and wireless conferences and consider the matter.

“Accordingly, we have requested that ‘communications’ should be included in the agenda at the forthcoming Imperial conference,” he concluded.