CABLE AND RADIO SERVICES

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24900, 13 June 1946, Page 5

CABLE AND RADIO SERVICES

“N.Z. WORST SERVED OF DOMINIONS” GOVERNMENT BLAMED AT EMPIRE CONFERENCE LONDON, June 11. New Zealand was undoubtedly worse served by telecommunications than any other Dominion, said Mr D. F. C. Saxton, of the “Taranaki Daily News,” on behalf of the New Zealand delegation to the Empire Press Conference when Empire communications were discussed. Between lodgement in London and delivery at newspaper offices in New Zealand, he said, messages to newspapers were subjected to delays during transmission, some substantial and sometimes involving many hours. A similar delay was possible with all private and commercial messages. The principal cause was the lack of a beam wireless receiving station and quick teleprinter and rad ioteletype transmitting equipment in New Zealand, which was now the only major Dominion without beam wireless reception.

If New Zealand wished to keep pace with the remainder of thei Empire it was essential that such a station should be provided by the New Zealand Government in conjunction with the Imperial communications authorities. Also, the Government must radically revise the internal distribution system in sympathy with existing methods in all other major British Dominions. The fault was not with the Post Office officials, who were universally helpful, but with the Government policy. A motion based on the decision of the recent Bermuda Communications Conference was moved by Mr Saxton, as follows:

“(1) That the Dominion Governments be urged to provide uniform telecommunication facilities at global bases to permit of free and rapid intercommunication and the promised recent technological developments. “(2) That governments abandon the right to reduce government rates or free memoranda preceding and delaying private, commercial, and newspaper messages.” Both resolutions were referred by the conference to a special committee for drafting. An Australian delegate (Mr H. R. Ashton) submitted a resolution recommending that in the United Kingdom, the Dominions, and India the proposed nationalised telecommunication services of the Empire should take the form of a public utility corporation, and that the directorate of each of those corporations should include a person with intimate knowledge of who should be nominated W press interests; and also that some form of Commonwealth liaison should be established.