LINKING THE EMPIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 April 1923, Page 5

LINKING THE EMPIRE.

■THE WI.&ELESS SCHEME. REASONS FOR DELAY. FIRST STEPS TAKEN. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, April 26. In an interview in the Morning Post, Sir W. Joynson Hicks denied that the policy of the Post Office 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 bad been by no means consistent. Failure to proceed with the jcheme of 1919 was partly due to the derire of the Dominions to have more direct communication, and partly to the financial rtringency. Experts accordingly reconsidered the problem and, in view of the development of the high power thermionic valve, they prepared plans for a British station iouble the size originally contemplated and capable of direct communication with Aus;ralia, India and South Africa. The Post Office immediately prepared detailed specifications, and orders would save been placed long ago if the new Government had not desired to consider the whole question afresh. Only last month the Post Office received orders to proceed with the British station. Orders had been yiaejd foi masts 820 feet high and the work construction would be proceeded with as quickly as possible. He had decided to make the power even greater than the planning commission pro>.<?ed last year. The station would be se ?ond to none in the world. Meanwhile the Post Office was operating stations at Oxford and Cairo. If they had not been completed the substantial expenditure incurred would have been wasted. It was true that the Cairo station was not paying its way. They never expected it would, but it was a valuable link of jommunication with the East. The Oxford station was paying all expenses and dealing with 80,000 paid words weekly, and the press service was superior to any service of its kind in the world. Cabinet had decided private enterprise ihouid not be debarred from providing wireess communication between the Mother Country and the Dominions, but licenses had not yet been issued, as the Marconi Company desired closer knowledge of the Government policy, and their counter-pro-oosals were now receiving Government consideration.

Mr. Godfrey Isaacs, managing director of Marconi’s Wireless Co., comenting on Sir W. Joynson-Hicks’ interview, stated: “Sir W. Joynson-Hicks on taking office 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 :onsiderable importance, and naturally require careful Government consideration, out I believe Sir W. Joynson-Hicks will quickly come to a decision. The proposals are of a nature to ensure the closest cooperation between post office stations and those we shall erect, with a view to making Britain the centre of the finest scheme of *orld-wide wireless communications.”