The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1912. A WIRELESS COMPASS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 20, 21 May 1912, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1912. A WIRELESS COMPASS.

That very wonderful man, Signor Alarconi, the inventor of wireless telegraphy, is stated to have now invented a wireless compass, the employment of which is expected to minimise the perils of fog at sea. Just before the last mail left England, Air Marconi was arranging to have a trial of the apparatus on hoard the Mauretania, and naturally declined to fully explain his secret until after the Patent Office had sent him his papers, but he took a piece of paper, and, with a pencil, drew what the compass is meant to accomplish. The drawing consisted of a series of lighthouses on shore, and a series of ships off shore at various intervals. At present, confusion between the ships and the shore stations prevails during a dense fog, or possibly in a severe storm, because, although the ships can pick up their wireless messages from lighthouses and from other ships, no sense of the direction in which they come is given. The wireless compass is, AIT Marconi says, going to supply exactly the lacking element. By means of the new wireless wave, which will be used exclusively in this kind of work, he is going to give the captain of a ship his sense of direction. Throwing some light on this new wonder, Air Marconi said that the whole thing was merely [ a matter of triangnlation. The captain of a ship picks up a lighthouse to his right and another to his left; he triangulates, and estimates. He knows just exactly where he is. He picks up a ship at sea in connection with the lighthouses. He figures that into his triangulations, and he knows just how near he is to it. If Mr Marconi is correct in his estimate of what the wireless compass will do, he will certainly have done a great thing for those who go down to the sea in ships. A very few years ago such an idea would have been hardly accepted seriously, but the march of science lias been so rapid that wo can readily believe that the great inventor has again triumphed.

THE GAG. The Sydney correspondent of the Christchurch “Press” writes that in view of attempts made at one time in Xew Zealand to restrict the right of Press comment upon electoral and political events, special interest attaches to the fact that what is called a Press gag is now being applied in Australia. In connection with the Federal by-election for Werriwa, in New South Wales, there has come into operation for the first time a new clause under the Electoral Act, which reads:—“On and after the date of issue, and before the return of any writ . . every article, report, letter, or other matter, commenting upon any candidate or political party, or flic issues hieing subjected to the electors, printed and published in any newspaper, circular, pamphlet, or

dodger, shall ho signed hy the author or authors giving his or their true name and address, or names and addresses at the end of the article, report, letter, or other matter. Penalty £SO. Any editor or proprietor who permits the publication of any unsigned article .etc., penalty £50.” 1 iie reports appearing in the papers ther fore hear the signatures of the reporters. This means a drastic change in Uritish journalism from the impersonal to the absolutely personal styleof writing. If such a clause is valid it is quite possible that ft may be followed by a provision prohibiting any comment whatever during tire course of elections. However, the constitutionality of this legislation is certain to be challenged soon in the High Court. Whether the average newspaper reader would regret the absence of columns upon columns of reports of political speeches is another matter. NO LIGHT TASK. The daily inspection of such great ships as the Titanic are in themselves no light task for the Captain and Surgeon. When the Olympic concluded her maiden voyage, the purser averred that the daily tour of inspection, which he made at 10.30 a.rn. with Captain Smith, Dr. O’Loughlhi, and tire chief steward, was fully nine miles. The captain computed the distance at one-third of that, while the surgeon insisted that iC seemed like nine miles. In the New York “Times” it was pointed out that tire stewards all appeared to be good walkers, and had ample opportunities for judging distances. The main dining saloon, with seating accommodation for 532 persons, has a width of 92ft., being the widest part of the ship. 'To the onlooker standing in the reception room at the foot of the main companion, where hats and coats were checked, it looked like hanging one’s hat up in one square of a city, and walking down to the next block to have one’s lunch. “This,” says that journal, “is realised by the waiters, to whom an order for another slice of bread or a glass of water means a walk of 300 or 400 feet. Distance made no difference to the service, passengers said. The most agile among the stewards is the night watchman, who has to cover alleyways 550 ft. long with state rooms on cither side. While he is going to answer a hell at one end another rings at the 'Other end of the alleyway, and the watchman has to glide swiftly to keep up with his calls: so that they do not get ahead of him. It was noticeable that there were nob fat, eo’mfortahlc-lonk-ing stewards, on the Olympic.'