LINKING THE PACIFIC

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 702, 30 December 1909, Page 5

LINKING THE PACIFIC

♦- WIRELESS REPORT. ACCEPTED BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. By Telegraph—Press Associatfon-rOonrriitht Melbourne, December 29. The Federal Prime Minister, Mr. Dcakin, has received a cablo messngi fi oin Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Mimstoi of New Zealand, accepting tho recommendations of the Wireless Telegraph,' Conference recently held in Melbourne, and at which tlw Commonwealth, New Zealand, and tho British Western Pacific wcro represented. A QUESTION IN THE HOUSE. , Mr. James Allen asked the Prime Mini ister yesterday afternoon m the Houso whether ho would mako any statement concerning tho conference on wireless telegraphy which has been held in Australia. Tho Prime Minister said that as the oulcomo of tho conference, recom- , mcndations had been mado which tho \ Government had agreed to.' They wero submitted confidentially to the Now Zealand Government by the Commonwealth. , Premier, who had' asked whether thcro was nny objection to publishing them. Ho had replied to Mr. Deakin that .' there was no objection. It was, howover, f for Mr. Deakin to mako the recommendations public, and, in tho Meantime, ihe , ( (bir Joseph Ward) could not do so. , Mr. Allen: Aro we being committed to any expenditure? > » Sir Joseph: Yes; but not beyond tho ' amount authorised by the House hve years ago. It is a very good arrangement so iar as wo are concerned. f PRIVATE "WIRELESS" VENTURES 1 VETOED. \ DECISION OF THE CONFERENCE, r "According to information obtained 3 from a usually reliable quarter 3 (says the Melbourne "Ago" of December 20), tho conference of representatives of i British administrations in tho South-west ' . Pacific, which hos been holding eecrot . meetings in this city for Gomo days past,' i. has decided definitely against tho iniiaa- • tion of any private wiicloss telegraphy ventures in tho Pacific. At its final j meeting to-morrow tho conference will adopt a report which will mean that >L j tho project fathered by an Anglo-Aus-trahaa syndicate, tho Pacifio Radio-Tola. • | graphy Company, mil have to bo aban-'' j doned. , All tho principal remunerative', 1 wireless stations contemplated by the n company have been placed by the confer- ' - i fcnee in tho list of those which must bi, - both Government owned and Government s managed. i , , r m" 1 ' « understood that something mora' r than a theoretical objection to subsidising private cuterprise-an objection whicli ' •■ » is readily waived by tho Commonwealth ' uovornnient in other (onnections-is at i r mi" b , oJ l "* confeicnce's decision.. ' Ihe scheme explained by Mr. Hamilton on behalf of the company, linked up ( Uerman and French possessions with tho ' Biilish, Austiahan, and Now Zealand tomtoiios w ono comprohensivo pro- ' gramme. Tho present political situation ' . in tho Pacifio is so delicate and so charged with possibilities, better im» . agmca than described, that the confer- • ence rasi practically unanimous in do- ' ? ? i?^. 1 ," 1 * 1 , H . ftouW inexpedient ) for Jiutish administrations to place wuen lesi communications in any other than, , British official hands. At tho samo timo, - th « conjerenco has ungrudgingly ad-' < niitted tho indebtedness of British Gov- '" ?. rn J? e ?n ts , in tho Poolfio t0 «io Pacifio Itadio-rolegraphy Company for its vigorr ous initiative in tbo matter, and for th« - r services which its agent, Mr. Hamilton, ' has limdeied. A reference to this effect * will bo incorpoiated in tho report. 1 u "It is stated that as the outcome of ' j. the conference's work, tho Australian and l Ncfr Zealand Governmonls and the Col(t oninl Office will establish a 6«ries of , , coastal stations of their own at various a centies in Papua, Fiji, vNcw Zealand, and < t- the Solomons, Tho Dutch, French, and ■ h German Governmenta will also erect''etaD tions on their own islands. Under tho, a Berlin' Radio-Telcfrraphy Conventioa, there must be coraploto intercommunication between all these stations." s ■) [AVhen seen yesterday with regard t« K o tlio recent conference, Mr. J. K. Logan, ' who represented New Zealand, stated that he could say nothing, as each delegate had been' pledged not to divulge ' anything which took plaeo at the conference. All he could 6ay was that a report was adopted, and as soon as the i final amendments and alterationa made 7 by tho oonforcneo were included, printed ~ a copies would be forwardod to tho, head. ' •• of overy Government concerned.] >r _™_______ ,n —