WIRELESS CHAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 July 1925, Page 7

WIRELESS CHAIN.

THE EMPIRE SCHEME. DENIAL OF DELAYS. THE POSITION EXPLAINED. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received July 21, 7.55 p.m. London, July 20. During the House of Commons debate on the Post Office Estimates, Mr. Hartshorn taxed tho Government with lacking energy in the completion of the Imperial wireless system. Mr. Weimer assured the House that the Government was pressing the matter with zeal and energy, and denied that delay had occurred except in connection with the construction of the northpastern stations communicating with Australia and India, in which connection, he pointed out, beam wireless was still in its infancy. Both the Post Office and Marconi were constantly gaining fresh information which, on several occasions, had made a consistent policy difficult. Moreover, the technical formalities connected with the ownership of station sites had produced delay, but he hoped these would be completed in a few weeks.

Mr. Weimer declared that the wireless advisory committee was steadily progressing towards arriving at its recommendations regarding tariffs, routes and the arrangements whereby it was hoped to make the Empire system a consistent whole. He added that nowhere in the Empire was a beam station yet working under conditions of public service, but it was hoped a service would be working in October between Britain and South Africa and Britain and Canada.

Mr. Ammon said he hoped that the Postmaster-General had not so handed over' himself to Marconi that we were going to find that Imperial communication was pampered and cheeked. He stressed the necessity for getting a move on. Mr. Mitchell-Thompson thought Mr. Amnions’ fears would prove unfounded. Although the beam system was really more or less in an experimental stage, they knew, and- Marconi’s frankly said they knew, little about it, and until stations were actually working they were unable to do more than theorise. The debate was adjourned.