MESSAGE TO MARS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1928, Page 5

MESSAGE TO MARS

SENDER’S RECEPTION

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright).

LONDON, Oct. 25. Mr Robinson has got a lot of publicity over his message to Mars, even if be did not get any reply from Mars. This publicity chiefly has been provided by his angry “Ma’s” message to the London newspapers: “I do not know what my husband .is doing ! Messages cannot be sent to Mars., It is nonsense!” Mrs Robinson was obviously annoyed. She paused for breath and added: “I do not know whether a message was sent. I do not care. I do not know where my husband is. 1 do not care. Ido not know whether he got a reply. Ido not- care. There will be no more nonsense in this house.” Thereupon the door was slammed.

Mr Robinson was more startled by this message than he could be by anything that be could have received from the other “Mars.” “I daren’t go home,” he said. “My wife, I believe, disapproves of my experiments. This affair has upset her. Perhaps, she’ll telephone me. It is all very upsetting!” Mr Robinson said that the Martians were also very annoyed, because the signals did not come. They were sitting up for hours to receive them. They were laughing at our scientists because they had got rid of atmospherics, whereas we had not.

The General Post Office said: “We sent Mr Robinson’s message. He also sent an official report of what happened. We cannot divulge it because it is official.

Professor Low nervously expressed the hope that it would be perfectly clear that “All I did was to observe the experiment. Nevertheless, I disagree with it. The experiment was foolish, but it would have been foolish to miss the opportunity cf observing.”