BEAM WIRELESS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 250, 20 September 1929, Page 7

BEAM WIRELESS.

ADVANTAGES STRESSED. CHEAPER THAN CABLEGRAMS. (By Telegraph—Special to Standard). AUCKLAND, Sept. 20. The advantages of the beam wireless system were discussed by the Council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce to-day. It was stated that it was cheaper to send cablegrams to Sydney and have the messages relayed to England by wireless than to send them direct. A letter was read from Mr O. J. Thedeus, stating that the beam wireless system run by the Australian Government in conjunction with Amalgamated Wireless, Limited, had resulted in the transmission being considerably reduced. The cable rates from Australia to London used to be 3s a word, but the charge now was 2s a word. The beam service rate was Is 8d a word, with proportionate reductions for transmission to other countries. The service was direct and there was no relaying as with cablegrams. A total of 6,000,000 messages had been sent in six months.

The Acting Chief Postmater at Auckland wrote, tating that the Post and Telegraph Department was aware that a large proportion of the AustraliaUnited Kingdom traffic was being handled by the beam service. However, the department did not consider that any appreciable amount of the New Zealand traffic was forwarded through the medium of the beam service. ... . , “Apparently it is cheaper to send cablegrams to Australia to be retransmitted than to send them direct by cable,” Mr Allum said. “It is well worth keeping in mind, said the ohairman, Mr Merritt.