RADIO RESEARCH

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 26, 15 February 1937, Page 7

RADIO RESEARCH

Telegraph— Pres»

Board in N.Z. Could Do Valuable Work PROFESSOR'S ADVICE

(By

Aosociation.)

WELLINGTON, This Day. Professor F. W. G. White, a young New Zealander, arrive.d by tk© Wanganella to take up the chaij of physics at Canterbury University College. In an int'erview he referred to the proposal arising out of the recent science congress at Auckland that there should be a radio research board in New Zealand. Professor White was oue of the auggested personnel. Radio research boards, he said, had been in existcnce in EugIand and Australia for some years, aud under their guidance mueh valuable seientific knowledge had been accumulated. There was at present some excellent work in New Zealand worthy of support, one exaruple being that of Mr G. A. Peddie, of Victoria University College. He had been studying the eiectrical regions of the upper atmosphere, which were vitally concerned xn the propagation of the wireless waves which came to us over loug distauces, "The study of these regions," he said, " is an important part in the research programmes of the radio research boards in Engiand and Australia, aud it has been found in these countries that there are only two main electrified regions. Mr Peddie has found that eiectrical conditions over New Zealand are more compiex and has identified a lower region of electrification which has not been observed in Australia. The presence of these more compiex regions in our atmosphere have a most considerable effeet on the reception of wireless signals from overseas and also the waves sent out from our stations."

A New Zealand radio research board could rely upon the co-operation of similar boards in Engiand and Australia, he added, and such co-operation would be of 'lmmense value if New Zealand was to assist in the solution of the problems encountered in intra-Empire communications. He knew that the engineer-s of the British Post Offica were very anxious that New Zealand should collect data of a seientific nature in the southern hemisphere which would help them in their endeavours to establish more satisfactory commercial and broadcasting services to the Dominxons. It was obvious that all the assistanco New Zealand could give in this problem would ultimately be to our advantage and might prove of the utmost importance in times of crisis. Professor White iB accompanied by his wife, who has taken her M.B. degree in London and has made a speeial study of puerporal fevor.