Hands Kept Free

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 311, 23 March 1928, Page 9

Hands Kept Free

GOVERNMENT AND RADIO CONTROL MR. BALDWIN’S STATEMENT By Cable. —Press Association. — Copyright. Reed. 9.55 a.m. LONDON, Thursday. In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister, Mr. Stanley Baldwin, replying to a series of questions relating to the future control of the Post Office’s beam cable systems, said that neither the Government nor the Imperial wireless and cable conference had any previous knowledge of or responsibility for the EasternMarconi merger. He could not make a general statement ahead o£ the conference report. While the Government was ready to discuss future arrangements, it was in no wise committed even in principle. It reserved freedom of action regarding any proposals to transfer the control of the Imperial wireless services which were at present administered by the Government. He could not say if the conference evidence would be published till its recommendations were considered by the British and Dominion Governments. Mr. J. Baker (Labour): Are you satisfied that Marconi’s licence is sufficiently definite to prevent its transference to a foreign Power? Have you seen a suggestion that the licence was on the eve of transference to America when the merger was reached with Eastern? Mr. Baldwin: I require notice of the question. The British section of the International Chambers of Commerce yesterday passed a resolution in favour of cable and wireless services being in the hands of private enterprise, on the same terms as those approved by the London Chamber. It will be recalled that the latter, on March 14, carried a resolution to the effect that in its opinion the public interest requires both cable and wireless services, and that healthy competition between them is vital to the needs of commerce, and also that the extra - European telegraph services should be left to private enterprise, the duty of the Governments being limited to the protection of the public against excessive charges, and to the taking of measures necessary for the national safety. In the House of Commons, Sir W. H. Cowan, Conservative member for Islington North, gave notice of a question to the Postmaster-General drawing attention to the risk of tapping ,beam wireless messages between Britain and Australia. He said that in view of the large numbers of confidential messages passing between the two countries, it was most important that secrecy should be obtained. A message from New York says the Mackay Cable and Telegraph Companies, and the International Telephone and Telegraph Company, have announced a merger of their facilities in a corporation to be known as the International Communications Company. This will provide a vast number of national and foreign land wires, cables, telephone systems and wireless. The fusion, it is believed in some quarters, will precipitate a “war” with the two British facilities which were recently combined. —A. and N.Z.-Sun.