THE KING'S ILLNESS

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 89, 17 May 1929, Page 4

THE KING'S ILLNESS

AMERICA CLEARS THE AIR. During the critiea! period of the King's illness the American people, as their newspapers sliow, took the greatest interest in the daily bulletms. Listening to 5SW, the Chelmstord sbort-wave station which broadcast news of the King's illness, swamped interest in every other form of broadcasting in America for the time being. The trouble was that 5SW was considerahly intertered with, and reception oi the station's hulletins was almost ruined because oi interfereiice by another short-wave station, which was eventuallv located in Chile. So great was the interest that there , was an msistent demand that the United States Government should take' steps to stop this interference. The United States Department of State was nsked to make "representations"

tc the Government oi Chile on thi j matter of this interference. This, of course, from a diplomatic point of view, was a very grave step, ror "representations" are seldom made by one government to another unless matters of vital importance ar'e concerned. In fact, representations sometimes lead to a breaking off of diplomatic relations, and that usually leads to war. However, America soemed to regard this interference as so serions, in view of the widespread importance of receiving the bulletins broadcast by Chelmsford. that the Government officials concerned made no boncs about it. They did not ask the Cliilean Govevn--ment to prevent the interference, they demanded that it should cease. From the point of view of international law, it is doubtful whether America had the right to make such a denuind, but uevertlieless it is interesting to note that the C'hilean Government took "iinmediate stcps," and the interference stopped. So American listeners were able to receive the news of tlie King's progress via the Chelmsford lirnadca.sting station without interference. This incident is extremelv interesting in view of the fact that it is the first occiision on which a Government has taken dinlomatie aet'on to pi-"venf interference from a forei^n broadcasting station in order that another station in a foreign conntrv could be '•lenrly lieard.