601

A—s

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY CONVENTION. CHAIRMAN : There was a point with regard to wireless telegraphy which Mr. Deakin wanted to put, and we have the Postmaster-General and Mr. Babington Smith here. Mr. DEAKIN : With regard to the proposed convention in relation to wireless telegraphy, as to which an agreement was arrived at some little time ago, I understand that convention is now under the consideration of a committee of the House of Commons. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : Agreement between whom ? Mr. BUXTON : It is an international agreement, and we are parties to it, but none of the Colonies.are parties to it. The Colonies have the absolute power and option of coming in, supposing we ratify it, at any time they like, or going out at any time on a year's notice. Every self-governing Colony has absolute liberty in regard to it. We have only committed ourselves so far as this country is concerned. Mr. DEAKIN : The convention, as I remember it, proposes to entrust to a future Conference the decision of questions relating to wireless telegraphy, the systems to be used, and the methods adopted, by means of which something like a universal system of wireless telegraphy may be established or the various systems may be co-ordinated. Mr. BRODEUR : Interchange. Mr. BUXTON : Inter-communication. Mr. DEAKIN : These questions are to be referred to some permanent body on which each Power has votes. Mr. BUXTON : This Conference took place, and all the great Powers— I think every Power interested in it—was represented. They came to certain arrangements which now form the convention, as to which the question is whether we should ratify it or not. The Conference has now adjourned for five years and that convention, so far as the Powers who ratify it are concerned, will come into force for all of them; but they can all go out on a year's notice. In the meantime, in the five years, the only things by which they are bound are the actual terms of the convention. There is no standing body which has any voice or power in regard either to the interpretation or enforcement of these regulations and articles of the convention. The only body that exists is an International Bureau for merely clerical purposes, the listing of wireless stations, and so on. It has no sort of executive power of any kind. Between the meeting of one Conference and the next each Power is free to carry out the convention, and to interpret it in the way it thinks right. There is no body with executive power between the two meetings of the Conference. Mr. DEAKIN : It is for the next Conference that a scale of voting was proposed under which the maximum number.of votes or representatives was to be six for a country with colonies ? Mr. BUXTON : Each of the self-governing Colonies was communicated with and informed the Conference was to take place. A draft was sent to them for consideration. I think they all desired that they should not be

Fifteenth Day. 14 May 1907.

Wireless Teleoraphy.

77—A. 5.