OUR WIRELESS INSTALLATION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 248, 25 February 1911, Page 2

OUR WIRELESS INSTALLATION

PREMIER'S REPLY TO CRITICS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Dunedin, Thursday. Sir J. G. Ward, in conversation with a reporter to-night, replied to criticisms regarding the Government's action in accepting the tender it did for wireless telegraphy installations. The tender of the Australasian Wireless Co. has been accepted, and the amount of the tender for two high-power stations and five lowpower stations was £23,700. There were two other tenders, the Lepell and Marconi companies. The Government considered the Australasian Cn.'s tender the most convenient in every way. The Government had fully considered the offer of the Marconi Co., which for the same number of stations was approximately £30,000, higher than that of the Australasian Co. Close investigation of the Telefunken system, which was used by the Australasian Co., had been made by the Government's engineer, and the opinion of the Government's consulting engineers in London had also been obtained, and the Government was satisfied that the Telefunken system was better suited to our requirements. The company had given a guarantee that equally good results would be obtained. The system to be operated between New Zealand and Australia by the Telefunken method would require only 70-horse-power, as against 200-horsc-power by the Marconi system. For economy in working the Government wished to establish low-power stations on top of post offices, which was desirable to prevent interference with telephones. Tests by the departmental engineer had proved the efficiency of the system. There was no reason why the country should pay an excessive price to any company if it could get a thoroughly efficient system at a price such as that of the Australasian Co. The fact that the system decided on for New Zealand belonged to a foreign nation had been considered, but the fact remained that there was no system in operation which was not a foreign invention. The company whose offer had been accepted was a British company, and to saggest, as one paper had done, that in time of war, for instance, there would be a disadvantage from what the Government had done, was incorrect and somewhat ludicrous. There was no monopoly in the matter of what system could he used on British ships. Anyway, the system to be used here would lie operated by our own officers, and would be under British control. The question of whether any infringement had been made on patents of any other company was a matter between the companies concerned. Every precaution had been taken to see that the condition of the contract protected the Dominion on all requisite points. To raise the question of the foreign clement was unwarranted. It would be as reasonable to have the point raised in connection with the scientific instrument used in the telegraph and telephone offices, or in connwtion with many instruments used in ih-.- medical and dental professions.