THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8285, 13 November 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1906.

The discussion regarding the iuternationa'ismg of wireless telegraphy, to which frequent reference has been made in our cable messages lately, really centres round the amalgamated Braun-Arco system of Germany, and tbe Italo-Engilsh Marocni system. By agreement with kbe English and Italian Governments tbe Marconi system bas a monopoly on English and Italian ships, on English Government stations, and on Lloyd's signal stations. This privilege moans, roughly speaking, a monopoly of service on the principal passenger routes throughout the world. In addition to this, own power •'ahatiocs at Poldbu, in Cornwall, and Cape Ood control the Amerioan passenger route. Other private stations of the oompany number twenty in England, two in Belgium, twenty in Italy, one in Montenegro, two in Egypt, seven in tbe United States, and nineteen in British North America. Eighty - five passenger steamers of vaiious nationalities are fitted with the Marconi installation, inoluding four North German Lloyd steamers, and six of the Hamburg-Amerika line. These form the orux of tbe disoussnn as far as Germany is concerned. The Marconi Company refuses to accept or transmit messages from or to instruments of any other system'. Hence German ships fitted with the German system— Brauu-Aroo—'Can-not oummunicate with the private Marconi stations, with Lloyd's stations, or with English or Italian Government btations. furthermore,

they cannot communicate with ships having the Marconi installation. Now it is of the utmost importance to the Increasing conmercial marine of Germany to te able to communicate with the network of stations represented by Lloyd's, Marconi (private), and the English Government stations, lightho.usos, eto. It follows, therefore, that those vessels which are unable or unwilling to forego these important advantages must .instal the Marconi system. The Hamburg • Amerika line, for instance, has entered into H contract to instal none bat the Marconi system for a considerable number of years. Against this Marconi monopoly the German group complains bitterly. It is argaed that the German system is as good, or is even better, than Marconi's; it is pointed out, for example, that the German system is installed on the American warships, although there are two native American systems in existence. The deliberations of the recent congress in Berlin as far as the German delegates were concerned were mainly direoted to an effort to break down the Marconi ( monopoly by inducing the AngloItalian Company to accept and transmit messages from and to the instruments of other systems.

No longer can the Englishman reproach foreigners on the ground that they are "no sportsmen." Noi only have the better classes on the Ooutlinent taken very genera'ly to sport, but paternal governments have done a vast work to improve the lower orders by wholesale military, gymnastic and technical training. Bat those at Home, as a writer points out io the Westminster Review, can only show fine fruit at the top of the national basket—-underneath is a weltering mt»as of rubbish. The results of wiaely direoted "paternalism," as above indicated, in the fields of trade and industry, no leas than jn that of military self-defence, are rightly held by many observers to be of vital importance for British statesmen, and the intelligent public at large, to study and turn to account. From a national and patriotic standpoint they must, doubtless, be admitted to rank hignor than the well kndwn healthful influence—so far as it goes—of merely spontaneous or schoolordained sports. Sports bring health, produce oharacter, improve the breed. Tbey are more than a stepping-stone to a "brilliant atb letic career." For they are the salt of the nation's physical life. The problem now is* how to render available for the i whole population —the town denizens more particularly—the advantages in these respects from which they are at present so marry of them, practically excluded. These should be the inalienable birthright of every Briton, and not of the more fortunate classes only. It is this national or educational, as well as truly and literally re creational, aspects of sports to which more attention may with profit ba devoted than is being at present: It is the best foundation upon whicll an effective system of national military, as well as technical, training can be built up. It is sometimes thrown nto the faoa of the English faotory hand or workman that nil his spare time ia devoted to sport. This may be true in a sense; but the fallacy of it is that the so called sport takes the wrong lines. Moreover, their connection with sport is at the best limited, as a rule, to loafing ou sporting grounds, sporting ohatter, criticism, and betting. "Let every large working establishment have a rifle corps and athletic club," says the writer in the Westminster Review, "and the latter type would be far less promineut in oar midst."