WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8522, 15 January 1906, Page 2

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE MARCONI AGENT. SIR JOSEPH WARD INTER- " VIEWED. [Fbom Our Cobkespondikt.] WELLINGTON, January 15. Seen on Saturday night, Captain. L. E. Walker, the Marconi (representative, was polite but adamantine in refusing to say anything xti& after ibis interview .with Sir Joseph Ward to-day. Seen lats last night in reference to a, message from Qhrifitohu'rch (regardaaig fixing the station site at Summer and advertising the Marconi s^yetem ai the Chflristchurch Exhibitions, Captain Walker denied tJie authority and 1 accuracy of the message., stating that no proposals had yet been laid before Sir Joseph Ward. He eadd tihat he had recently laid his company's proposals before the Commonwealth. The Post-master-General and Mr Chapman had submitted to him a proposal for installing a high power station osQj the coast, from which it would be possible to communicate with New Zealand, Tasma-nia and the islands ioi B&ss Strait. The Minister was <so impressed with the eohome that he authorised Captain "Walker to tell Sir Joseph Wa-rd that if he would (reciprocate the Federal Government would coneddea* at once the advJpsabieaieiSs of calling for tenders far a high power station. The cpmpsuiy hae cc-fcttfacts with the Cunard, North German, AUamtde Ttra>nsport, White Star, # Alla-n, Red Star, Anchor aaid other lines, and* also with, the Itali-ain Government. It lias just orenewed for fourteen! yeaxs Russian amd Canadiap communication extending now as far as 2000 miles. Seen' later Sir Joseph 1 Ward said that tlte question of the Marccmi installation iirora poiE,<t to point in New Zealand had never been considered by fcho Government. The Parliamentary vote last yeaa- of £7000 indicated, an intercolonial communication direct. The eolemy w<aa ah-eady weH. served, by ordinary telegraphio communication along the coasts. As a matter of fact the Government . had 1 an ofrer from Messi-s Shoem^k&r and Company to establish a system at four stations for something under £20,000, but nothing had yet been done, because, eaid Sir Joseph, "in anything we do we require tfie co-operation of the Commonwealth Government. Only a half system, confining the operations to th« New Zealand coasts alone, would be useless. With wireless telegmaphy establkhed between New Zealand and ! Australia (including Tasmania) the | system would be of equal benefit to both. My ownjidea is to have stations at points where the system would be of value to shipping coming to our sh.OT€G — say at the Auckland Island* cr Puysegur Point on idie axiute forom M-edbou-r'ii-9 and England, and comneeting with, stations cm tih© Austradaaji coast. We don't, however, want to establish stations .purely from sendmoiital reasons. If there should be one at W-efli-ngton-, or Sirm&ar, or anywhero elsa, : -J>he points chosen must b© chosen for their real value to the shipping, a.n<i their suitableness for the purpose. What we want is to have a Eyisrbam in operation that will give conmectkHi' by tuis meaais with the ooaEts of Australia, and will enable tho__ (ahippiaig to take advantage of it. \ve recognise oaat wireless telegraphy 'h<as come to stay. It ts past the ■experimental stage, aJid now we want, fis a progressive country, to be up-to-date in,, that respeot. So far we 'hay© aiofe, how-ev-er, piedged ourselves to any system, but wltat we ■fi'ill do aftei* we have goaie into the mattar wil} be to e-n- --<* savour ■bo get tive CoffaJnottweaJtli! Go- , ©vnineiit to work witiu us in> the" matter, a-n4 get fhie. h&st eyetem. % ivouM' no doubt bo v«!ry Juteirest'img <bo haire a trial statkan, bat we arp not •going to t&e expense' of erecticng a st-aiiom, say, for instaaice, at the Chatham Islands, merely for fne novelty of the thing."