WAITING FOR GUIDANCE

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1930, Page 8

WAITING FOR GUIDANCE

MR. SCULLIN AND CABINET. STORY OF DELAYED MESSAGE. At the direction of the ac;ting-Primc Minister of Australia, Mr. Penton, inquiries were made recently to ascertain the reason for the delay of four days in the elivery of a wireless message lodged on board the steamer Grama by the Prime Minister, Mr. Scullin, for the guidance of the Federal Cabinet in its deliberations. The inquiries showed that the message was lodged on board the Orama in the Arabian Sea at 5.30 a.m. (Sydney h tiinc) on September 4, but the ship did not call Sydney until 4 a.m. on September 5. For two days the Orama was unable to exchange signals with Sydney, and because of interference from European stations, it was unsuccessful in its attempts to send' messages to the station at portishead, near Bristol, England. Early on the morning of September 7, the Portishead station sent to the Orama messages which it had received from Sydney through the Atlantic liner Franconia, which was off Southern Ireland. Through another steamer in the same area —the Staffordshire —the Sydney station endeavoured, on September 8, to instruct the wireless operator on tk. Orama to send his messages direct to Sydney, and the Staffordshire was asked to assist in relaying the messages, if necessary. The Staffordshire acknowledged receipt of the instructions, but apparently did not pass them on to the Orama. On September 9 the Orama established communication with the Portishead station, which then sent Mr. Scullin’s message to Sydney. It was received on the same day" by Mr. Fenton, who had expected the communication on September