the mast of which had already been erected.

The

These stations were intended to form the first link in any larger Imperial scheme Oxford Station was completed in August 1921 and the Cairo Station in April 1922, and a regular service between the two stations was opened at the beginning of May for the transmission of traffic between Great Britain on the one hand and Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Abyssinia, Erythrea and Italian Somaliland on the other. Steps are being taken for the inclusion of Mesopotamia, Aden and other places in these arrangements.

The Oxford Station is also used for

(1) the broadcasting of British official communiqués ;

(2) the transmission of long-distance radio-telegrams and news messages to ships at sea;

(3) the transmission of press messages

(a) to Halifax (Nova Scotia) for Canadian and American newspapers;

(b) to India.

In connection with the Halifax service, remarkably successful results have been achieved. The number of words transmitted nightly averages about 5,000, but as many as 12,000 words a night have been dealt with in an emergency.

In November 1919, the Government appointed a Committee, known as the Imperial Wireless Telegraphy Committee, under the Chairmanship of Sir Henry Norman, to prepare a complete scheme of Imperial wireless communications in the light of modern wireless science and Imperial needs. In June 1920 this Committee submitted a report, which was subsequently approved by the Imperial Government subject to the concurrence of the Dominions, recommending that a chain of Imperial stations should be erected in England, Egypt, East Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong by and at the cost of the Imperial Government, and in India, Australia and South Africa by and at the cost of the Governments concerned. In pursuance of the Committee's recommendations, the Government at the end of 1920 appointed a Commission of Experts, which in December 1921 submitted detailed plans and specifications for the construction of the stations.

The scheme of the Imperial Wireless Committee did not, however, receive support from the Dominion Governments. A strong feeling grew up in Australia, South Africa and India in favour of direct communication without the use of intermediate stations; it was also decided by the Commonwealth and Union Governments to entrust the erection of their stations to private enterprise, representing Marconi interests.

In these circumstances, the situation was reconsidered in July 1922, and the Imperial Government decided to proceed with the erection in England of a station of the ultimate power contemplated by the Expert Commission (instead of the smaller power, which they had proposed should be used in the first instance) with a view to the provision of direct commercial communication with India, South Africa and Australia. They also offered to erect a station in India,

to be worked by the Indian Government, capable of direct communication with England, South Africa and Australia. As a corollary of this decision, the proposed second station in Egypt and the station in East Africa were definitely deferred, and the question of the provision of stations at Singapore and Hong Kong was held over for further consideration.

This was the position when Mr. Bonar Law's Government came into power. The new Cabinet reviewed the question afresh and ultimately decided that in view of developments in the science of wireless telegraphy and other circumstances which had arisen since the late Government decided upon the policy of a State-operated wireless chain, it was not necessary any longer to exclude private enterprise from participation in wireless telegraphy within the Empire, and that licences should therefore be issued for the erection of wireless stations in this country for communication with the Dominions. Colonies and foreign countries subject to the conditions necessary to secure British control and suitable arrangements for the working of the traffic.

At the same time the Cabinet decided that it was necessary in the interests of national security that there should be a wireless station in this country capable of communicating with the Dominions and owned and operated by the State. A station of this kind will therefore be erected as early as possible, and will be available for commercial traffic as well as for service messages.

These decisions are now being acted upon. The terms of the licence to be granted to the Marconi Company are being considered by the Departments concerned.

VIII. SUGGESTIONS.

It is suggested that the following proposals should be put before the Imperial Economic Conference :

(a.) That representatives of the Dominions and India should be associated in the work of the Imperial Communications Committee when questions of interest to them are under consideration.

(b.) That in view of the fact that the Dominions interested in the Pacific cable have for a long time pressed for the provision of a State-owned connecting link across the Atlantic, all possible support should be given by the Governments of the Empire to the State-owned Atlantic cable route which has now been provided.

(c.) That in any concessions given in the British Empire to private enterprise in respect of cable or wireless services (including broadcasting stations) preference should be accorded to British Companies.

April 1923.

IMPERIAL WIRELESS SERVICE.

Memorandum by the Postmaster-General (I.E.C. (23)—57).

The Government decided in March last, in view of the policy adopted by most of the Dominions of licensing private companies to construct their wireless stations, that as regards the communicating stations which would be required in Great Britain—

(a.) The Government themselves would provide one station. (b.) They would license the Marconi Company to provide such other stations as are immediately needed, subject to suitable traffic arrangements being made between the Government station and the Company's station.

There appeared to be three possible means of dividing the traffic

1. Unrestricted competition, under which both the Company's stations and the Government station would communicate indiscriminately with each of the Dominion stations. 2. A form of pooling arrangement whereby the traffic would be operated from one central control and routed viâ the Government station or the Company's stations as the day-to-day requirements indicate, the revenue being pooled in proportion to the number of stations contributed by each party.

3. A regional distribution under which the services with certain Dominions would be conducted viâ the Government station, and with others by the Company's stations.

1. The policy of unrestricted competition would be practicable, though uneconomical, if two services with independent stations at each end (and therefore two distinct lines of communication) were established with each Dominion. But with a single station in each Dominion under Marconi control the whole of the inward traffic to Great Britain would be routed to the Marconi stations in England, while the Post Office distributing organisation in Great Britain would probably enable the bulk of the outward traffic to be transmitted viâ the Government station. A system under which a single station in each Dominion was in communication with two competitive stations in Great Britain could not be satisfactory or economical; and there would be great difficulties in handling acknowledgments, repetitions, &c., of messages transmitted from the Government station in Great Britain which would have to come back viâ Marconi channels.

2. A pooling arrangement was originally proposed by the Marconi Company and the principal heads of such an arrangement had, in fact, been agreed with the Company. Ultimately, however, the Company intimated that they would not accept a pool unless the whole of the services were operated from the Marconi headquarters.

Such an arrangement the Government decided could not be accepted. But they were, and still are, willing to enter into a financial pool, providing the routing and operation of the traffic is conducted from the Central Telegraph Office, the provision and working of the wireless stations themselves being divided between the Company and the Government.

3. If a pooling system be discarded, the only possible arrangement would seem to be a regional allocation. The Government have offered the Marconi Company licences to conduct services with all foreign countries outside the Continent of Europe and with the Dominions and Colonies, other than Canada and South Africa, the services with which it is proposed to allocate to the Government station. But at present the Company have declined to accept this offer and are apparently hoping, by holding out for a general and unrestricted licence, to secure a practical monopoly of the whole of the Imperial services.

From conversations which I have had with General Smuts with reference to the South African station and with Mr. Graham with reference to the Canadian service, I understand that they take the view that just as it has been recognised that the policy to be adopted in each Dominion rests with the Government of that Dominion itself, so the policy to be adopted in Great Britain rests with the British Government, and provided the service is efficient they will be satisfied that the communications with their respective Dominions should be conducted viâ the Government station in this country, which has already been begun and I anticipate will be available for working by the end of next year.

General Post Office, E.C..

November 7, 1923.

(Initialled) L. W.-E. Postmaster-General.

DEPUTATION FROM THE EMPIRE PRESS UNION.

A Deputation from the Empire Press Union was Received on Tuesday, October 23, 1923, at 12:30 p.m. by a Committee of the Conference.

The Right Hon. Sir PHILIP LLOYD-GREAME, K.B.E., M.C., M.P., President of the Board of Trade (in the Chair).