Wireless Experiments

Hokitika Guardian, 19 January 1922, Page 4

Wireless Experiments

PROFESSOR JACK AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT. WELLINGTON, Jan 16. Recently there was some public criticism of the alleged severe restrictions imposed upon Professor Jack, of the Otago University, in regard to wireless experiments. The Hon W. Downie Stewart, Minister of Internal Affairs, has now received a memorandum from the Postmaster-General, enclosing the facts, as stated by the Telegraph Department. The Department states that “it is difficult to understand the attitude of Dr Jack. The delay which arose in the first instance in granting him permission to carry out wireless telephone concerts has been: shown to have been entirely his own fault, as he could! not be prevailed upon to do, as all other wireless experimenters and amateurs are daily doing, and as is required' in all countries where wireless experimenting is allowed, viz., to notify the Dej partment of certain simple but neces- ! sary information that it should have in its possession. Directly this was received he was given permission to use 25 times the power that would under ordinary circumstances be granted in the United Kingdom, and was given practically a free hand to carry on his experiments on certain wave-lengths of his own choosing. The only other restriction placed upon him was that he was to notify the district telegraph engineer at Dunedin of his intention to transmit signals. This cannot be considered as a hardship, seeing that he admits notifying amateurs and ship stations all over the country of his intention to transmit, and that he invited their co-operation in the repetition of his signals. Dr Jack has, however. taken upon himself to gd further than this, and has written to at least one superintendent in charge of one of the coast stations, soliciting his assistance in listening for Iris signals over a p?rod of two hours and on a wavelength that would have prevented his attention to commercial ship traffic and to the! constant watch that is required for distress signals. The officer referred this to headquarters, and was advised that he could not under any circumstances he permitted to take notice of requests from outsiders which would interfere with the carrying out of the duties of his station, more particularly with regard to the listening watch for the detection of distress signals. Dr Jack wrote to the Press about what ho was pleased to call “the incompetence and entire lack of common sense of the official mind in relation to his requests and experiments The Department thinks this unnecessary and uncalled for criticism and appears to indicate that ho does not wish to l-»n placed under any restriction what ever hut wishes to be free to carry on experiments regardless of the effect they may have upon distress signals lor any of the operations of the Department. Such freedom is not given in anv other country where rigid regulations have to he observed. The Department has every desire to rive TV .Tnelc all rosible latitude in the direction of the amount of power Used, and there is no reason why he should not have written to the Department stating his reasons. The District Engineer in Dunedin.says hia attitude in contrast to the offiriol communicaticun in which he thanked him profusely for the consideration and assistance extended to him. Moreover his attitude is in marked contrast to that of the Professor of Physics at Wellington and These gentlemen have been in close touch with Mie Department and will freely admit that they have been at all times met’ in a reasonable spirit', and/ that the Department has gone out' of its way to assist them in research and experiments, and has on many occafeions been of great' assistance to them.”

The Potmastoi-Uonernl in his cover' ing memorandum to the Minister of Tm tornal Affairs says. “Tt is apparent thnt Dr Jack is labouring under some 1 serious misapprehension. Moreover, lie was riven authority to use twenty-five times the power that would be accorded him in the United Kingdom, and he was given practically a free hand to make hisf transmissions on any wave length of his own choosing that would not) interfere with Departmental work indeed, he was given every latitude, with one exception, that he was ~estrictod to use of 250 watts instead of the 500 watts he desired to Use. If Dr Jack could show any good reason why he should be given permission to use 500 or 5000 watts, he liad only to w»ite 500 or 5000 watts, he had only to write to the Minister or to the Department and is request would have received careful and sympathetic consideration. Statments which he made regarding the Department are not calculated to assist matters.”