PACIFIC WIRELLESS

Hokitika Guardian, 28 February 1922, Page 4

PACIFIC WIRELLESS

SAMOA THE PIVOT

WELLINGTON, Feb. 23

During the last few years wireless communication in tile Eastern Pacific lias made considerable strides, and New Zealand has become the predomiant factor in the wholqf scheme as a result of its control over the highpower station at Apia, in Samoa. This is the great pivot on which the outlying stations work in ,securing transmission of their message to the mainland of Australia, or New Zealand. Samoa, takes toll of all the messages which! pass, and a. profitable traffic has been built up. But for the expense of maintaining a. “listening” service during non-business hours, for the sake of the safety of shipping, the Apia station \ would show a profit. Under present conditions, New Zealand provides a vote of £2,500 for this station, which approximately equals the cost of the special listening service. Jn a, recent year the Apia wireless j handled 8019 messages, totalling 109.457 words, so that it. will 1 l>e realised that wireless telegraphy in the Eastern Pacific is a well-established institution. So busy are the wireless stations of this area that Apia station has to divide the business hours into no fewer than sixteen sections, to prevent the clashing of traffic. This American naval station receives direct from Pearl Harbour and ! Honolulu, and if it requires communica- . tion with New Zealand or Australia, it ; has to work through the Apia station, j Next on the schedule, with its special : time for receiving and sending, is the J French station at Tahiti. The Fiji | wireless follows in due course; Tonga has its turn, and finally Para tonga. This' list is repeated at intervals during the day of twelve hours, all the Eastern Pacific traffic being transmitted through Tpia to Awnnui, if communication is desired with Australia or New Zealand. The listening service between 8 p.m. and 8 a,.m. is maintained as a result of an international agreement in the interests of the world’s shipping. Each country owning a high-powered wireless station conducts a listening service ns its contribution to the cone ml security of sea traffic. This watch was maintained by the Apia station during the military regime, and under the civil regime without cost to New Zealand, but the recent vote on the Dominion’s estimates is an indication that New Zealand has come into the international

partnership. Another interesting feature of Pacific wireless is the sending out into the ether of a daily summary of the world’s news, prepared by the External Affairs Department in Wellington each morning. The plan commenced during the war, when the Post Office wirelessed daily war bulletins for the general benefit of troopships. When this-need ■'eased, it was felt that- the Pacific Islands, which had greatly appreciated the privilege of tapping the do.ilv message could not be isolated, and the work was taken up by the External Affairs Department for the benefit of Samoa and Paratonga. Then the Tongan administration asked to join in the scheme, so that three stations in the Pacific tap the Press bulletin, while ships within range may also'share in the service.