WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9736, 31 December 1909, Page 8

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY

RESOLUTIONS CARRIED AT THE CONFERENCE. STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER. [Pan Pbess Association.] WELLINGTON, December 3G. Sir Joseph Ward stated to a "New Zealand Times" representative tonight that the New Zealand Government had agreed to the recommendations of the conference held in Melbourne recently on wireless telegraphy. He received on December 23 the resolutions by cable from Mr Deakin, Commonwealth Prime- Minister, And. as an outline of these had already been cabled he was at liberty to make the full details public. The ; resolutions were: — (1) That high-power stations be provided, maintained and adopted at or near Sydney, Doubtless Bay (New Zealand) and Suva (Fiji). (2) That ift is desirable that a system: of wireless telegraphy be established to connect the. group of islands under British protection with the Commonwealth of Australia, the dominion of New Zealand and the headquarters of the High Commissioner of the Pacific at 1 Tiji, and that for the purpose, it is desirable that in addition to those named in resolution No. 1, wireless stations be established at Tulagi (Solomon Islands), Ocean Island and Vila _ (New Hebrides). „ (3) That, having heard the representative of .the Radio-Telegraph Company in regard to his proposals, the conference does not feel justified in recommending the Governments con- . cerned that the concessions asked for be/granted. (4) That it is .desirable that any service of wireless telegraphy established to serve the requirements of the British Western Pacific be established and maintained under, direct State control or through a State agency. . (5) That the high-power stations recommended be of such a capacity that the station at Sydney be capable of communicating with Doubtless Bay, and Doubtless Bay capable of communicating with Fiji; tfiat they shall, be able to receive and transmit waves up to 6000 feet, in addition tg ordinary commercial waves. . v (6) That medium power stations be established at Vila (New Hebrides) and at. Inlagi (Solomon Islands), the cost of the establishment at, those .places $o be borne two-thirds by th© Imperial Government and one-third by the Commonwealth of Australia, the losses on work-: ing .expenses and other annual! charges to be met by the Governments named' m the same proportion. The question of co-operation by the French Goyernmeht # in the establishment of the New Hebrides station to be left for consideration and action by the Imperial Govern-. ment. . (7) The cost of the establishment of the high-power station at Fiji to be borne m the following proportions :— Imperial Government, one-third; Australia, one-fourth jj New Zealand, onesixth ; Fiji, one-fourth ; and. that any loss on the working expenses and other annual charges - should be borne ,by the respective Governments in the same' proportion, subject* to an additional contribution being made by the Government of Fiji if the station is used in> connection with the local Fiji system. (8) That a station should be established at Ocean Island capable of continuous communication with Fiji, : and" that its cost should be borne in the following proportion ! — Imperial Govern-: ment, two-thirds ; Commonwealth Government, one-third; the establishment of this station to. be subject to, the ; Pacific* Phosphates Company guaranteeing the contributions against loss on working expenses and all other annual charges, including ffnking fund. (9) That the scheias of wireless telegraphy in the* islands of the Western Pacific as recommended by the conference should be embodied in an agreement to be arrived at 'by tlie Govern--ments desiring to take part therein,; and that the agreement should provide^ for the executive. control, and -m&nage-;-meht of such worlc by the High; Com-, missioner and the Government of Fiji. Und^r the complete scheme as proposed arid outlined in these resolutions' the financial obligations for oapital expenditure would be distributed as fol-, lows :— lmperial Government for' 1 stations at Suva, Ocean Island, New Hebrides and Solomon. Islands, £21,332; Commonwealth Government for same stations, £11,666; Fiji for station at Suva only, £3000; New Zealand for station at Suva only, £2000; /total capital expenditure, £37,932. Reviewing the scheme, the Prime Minister drew- an interesting picture of the tremendous possibilities of the near future with wireless telegraphy in operation throughout the Pacific. He remarked that he would have made a full explanation to Parliament, . but. for the fact that the communications at that time were confidential, and had only been made public by Mr Deakin since the House rose. "I think," said Sir Joseph, " the proposals on the | whole are exceedingly satisfactory. First of all, the whole wireless system of j Fiji; Australia, 1 New Zealand and the islands is to be State-owned and controlled, and this is one of the terms 1 which I have personally contended for from the .commencement. For that reason the Radio^Telegraph'Company's proposal to establish a system in the islands, though doubtless a very good one, was not assented to so far as New Zealand was concerned. A complete chain of wireless communication between Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the islands, as well as the great shipping traffic that plies between the whole of these places will come into being. The advantage of this, in my opinion, cannot be overestimated. We have provided by Act this session for the compulsory wireless equipment of passenger steamers plying off the coast of New Zealand, and the creation of a wireless system on land would, of course, bring [this clause of the Shipping and Seamen Act into operation. I know from statements that have already been made to me by Sir James Mills, chairman of directors of the, Union Steam Ship Company, that he haß been looking forward, without any need for legislative compulsion of any kind, to the equipment of the passenger steamers of his company, and I have no doubt whatever that the Huddart-Par-ker and other companies trading to and from New Zealand would not only in , the interests, of the travelling public, but for their own benefit, be willing to adopt this modern system of communicating through the air with their ! steamers. Four or five years ago Par- j liament gave authority for the estab- . lishment of wireless stations in New Zealand, and the matter has ever; since been the subject of a great deal: of inquiry. I have all along, on behalf of the Government, delayed tak- j ing any definite course because of the ; great improvements that were forecasted by people best able to form an '■■ opinion in- connection with wireless ex- : tension. What I heard when in England and America recently fully satis- j fied me that delay up till now has been [ the right course, and the improvements i, already matie in the systems established ■ now are very greatly in advance of the , system operated four or five years ago." , Will the Government set the example by equipping its. own steamers with the wireless apparatus? was asked. "As soon as ever the system is established," replied Sir Joseph, "we will, of course, apply it to the Government steamers."

And will the post office accept messages from intercolonial steamers for delivery in New Zealand ? " Certainly we would work in the samo way with the delivery of wireless messages as we do with the sixpenny telegram." ■ Reverting to the subject of improvements in apparatus, Sir Joaeph Ward Baid that he had recently talkec^with two of the foremost authorities v in the world, Tesla and Marconi. Both assured him that during this year, there would be great advance vp- «iw»2<sßs

achievement. He quoted a remark able prophecy by Tesla. " When I was in New York," said the Prime Minister, "Tesla informed me he expected that he would be able from a station he was erecting not \ far from New York, to send messages to New" Zealand which could not be intercepted", and he expressed a very pronounced opinion that before a year or two he would be able to telephone over the same distance." "It may sound like a dream to those who not behind the scenes," added Sir Joseph, "but when you find recognised scientists, expressing a pronounced and definite opinion in this- direction, and: yon. think, of what they have already personally achieved, it makes one realise that the possibilities of communicating >. over long distances are beyond our concept tion." ■■,-.. .:,:.■.■■■ .'-