USE OF NEW FORCES IN AUSTRALIA

Hokitika Guardian, 13 September 1920, Page 3

USE OF NEW FORCES IN AUSTRALIA

AERIAL MAILS AND LONGDISTANCE WIRELESS. SYDNEY, August 24. _ The Australian Post Office authorities displayed the most remarkable reluctance in accepting tlie aeroplane as a new method of mail-carrying, and ,t was only after the more progressive public men and the newspapers had 1-aked officialdom fore and aft with withering comment that the Department agreed to “try” aeroplanes on some of the air routes. Now, however the Minister in charge has “agreed to consider” a proposal that mails shall be taken to the remote nortli-west of West; Australia b'y air. There is a fairly extensive but very scattered settlement over the coastal portion of this great area, and the people hereabouts depend for their mails upon cattleboats and coastal steamers. It is intended to establish an dir sendee be tween Perth and Broome, and one practised aviator who is interested has undertaken to deliver mails in Broome three days after leaving Perth. He will make a number of landings en rondo, and leave mails and small parcels _ at these centres. It is believed that it is just in connexion with such services as these that the aeroplane in the future will play a great part in the development of Outr.back Australia, *» The development of wireless tele-

graphy, ns a means of closer communication with the outside world, is making rapid strides. It is believed herethat wireless telephonic communication with London direct is a probability of the next year or two. Every day, at the experimental wireless station at Wahroonga, near Sydney, messages are received direct from England, France Germany, America, Japan, and Hawaii, and it is believed that telephonic communication will he equally easy and simple. The company known as Amalgamated Wireless, Limited, has submitted to the Federal Government a proposal to establish a direct commercial wireless sendee between Australia and England, and this proposal is now under consideration. The great advantage promised hv such a service is that the message will come direct from England to Australia,, and will not he subject to the vexatious delays of. the relay system which is necessary in cabling, and under which commercial wireless messages have to ,he sent to-day. An interesting incident showing the value of wireless, is reported to-day.

On Saturday morning the chief officer on the steamer Wyandra, en route from Brisbane to Sydney, left the bridge at 4.30 a.m. ill, and with alarming symtorris. There was no doctor aboard The captain, alarmed, sent a wireless to the R.M.S. Orvieto, also' en route from .Brisbane to Sydney, but some bmidreds of miles Behind. The doctor on the Orvieto asked for the symptoms and then got replies to a number of difficult medical questions. Then he prei scribed a certain treatment. The Wy--5 andra’s officer remained very ill all day, I but by Sunday morning he had responded to treatment and (by Sunday afternoon, still being treated by wireless by the doctor he was much better. By I Monday, ho was on the road to recov- ! ery. The Wyandra got into port on ’ Monday morning, and the first thing the ’ doctor did on landing was to go and see the patient he had cured by wireless