WIRELESS IN THE PACIFIC.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2267, 29 September 1914, Page 5

WIRELESS IN THE PACIFIC.

NEW , GUINEA STATION. ' One important result of the succesßful Australian ■- attack upon German New Guinea was tio capture of an important unit in the chain of wireless communication in the- Pacific Prior to the advent of wireless telegraphy Germany had evolved a scheme, to link up by cable her various possessions in tho Pacific. In furtherance, of this schmne, overtures.wore made to the Australian Government in connection with the laying of a cable from' New .Britain' to bo landed at Samarai (British Now Guinea), -and Cooktown, on tko Queensland coast. This proposal was almost Riven effoct to, but attention was drawn to tli" fact that its strategic value was entirely ..in favour, of. Germany, and the scheme accordingly fell through'; Later on, when wireless telegraphy became an 'a&eomplished fact the schemo was revived, but, instead of laying cables, it was decided to link the German possessions" up by the establishment of powerful wireless stations. It was, however, not until 1913 that any at-' tempt , was made to ctsablish these wireless stations in German New Guinea, but in th'at year a complete outfit was landed, and the station erjected at Hαbaul. . ' ' . ,

This station was not a success? owing to tlip fact that it had insuffrieut power to overcome the unfavourable volcanic, influences. "Towards the end of the year it waa dismantled, and the outfit was loaded on to the steamer Australian Transport and conveyed to the German island of Nauru, near the Marshalllslands. Within the last few month?, fiowover, a , larger and more powerful station hat been ■■ hastily, erected ..'at Kabakaul, a new site, about 14 ol 15 miles to the eastward of Ralmil, and about four miles to the eastward of the old.capital of Horbertshohe. • A good road was built from the crnist to the wireless station, and on this road' motor traction was'emploved to facilitate the transport of. materials. There is little doubt that this work was especially carried wit -with a view to the present hostilities.

The vast motor bus service of the London General Omnibus Company, which has''nearly 3000 buses.on London streets, had already been curtailed when the last mail left London, and further ■ curtailment was inevitable. Over 1000 reservists employed by the company were called to tire colours, and a number of the buses were requisitioned for. army transport.' Already the old horse buses, so familiar to Londoners a few years back, but which recently haye almost entirely vanished, have begun to make their reappearanceon London streets. The military; authorities have been 'empowered *o ieguisition motor cars, horses, and other means of transport likely to be of service to the State, ' and have done so largely. This withdrawal' of businoss transport has affected tho trade of a jireat many London firms, particularly those largo retail suppliers who a e in business as universal providers, each with hundreds of carts and motor lorries for the daily delivery of their goods. Some of "these firms are beginning to close up temporarily in consequouoe, and others are likely to follow -uit. Tho mission work in what was until recently German New Guinea has boon carried on by tho Couppe, a tine typo of missionary. Tho mission has built, about a mile to the eastward of Eabaul, a laree cathedral and schools. The cathedral itself makes . quite an imposing sight, with its twin towers, the whole structure having tho appearance of a noble stouo cathedral, although, as a matter of fact, the frame is of wood and tho walls of galvanised iron, painted to imitate masonry. Tho work of the Protestant mission is in tho hands of tho Methodist Church. It was here that the veteran missionary, the Key. Gcorgo Brown, performed some of his best mission work, establishing the mission on the Duke of York Islands, a email group at the entrance to lllancho Bay, in full sight of Kabaul and Horbertshoe. This is an Australian mission, and at ono time was entirely manned by Australian missionaries; but, in deference to the proGerman tendency, most of the later missionaries ore of-fcterpjan, nationality,