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very carefully drawn regulations under which we beiieve interference and confusion wiil be reduced to a minimum. lam only treating it very broadly. Mr. DEAKIN : If there were reciprocal preferences in this matter, it might be very advantageous; but when the Empire has at present all to give and very little to gain, are not we anticipating a state of things which has not yet arisen ? Mr. BUXTON : May I ask what we are giving ! Mr. DEAKIN : We give a power of communicating with the whole of the stations which we have and all our ships. Mr. BUXTON : Except so far as we like to exempt them. Mr. DEAKIN : That exemption could only be used in very special circumstances. Mr. BUXTON : It could be used so far as the Government is concerned at every one of their stations. Mr. DEAKIN : You mean you could adhere to the Convention and at the same time exempt the whole of your territory from it ? Mr. BUXTON : No, you must have a certain number of stations for carrying out the international work, but all the existing stations, and any others you like to name, from an Admiralty or any other point of view, can be exempted ; that is one of the conditions on which we agreed to the Convention. Mr. DEAKIN : What does that mean? Those stations will be sending out their wireless messages. In what way are they prevented from being picked up because The station is exempted ? Mr. BUXTON : Exempted stations come under the Convention in every other respect; that is to say, they are as much protected from confusion and interference as are the other stations. Mr. DEAKIN : That is to say, they can receive but are exempt from exchanging and communicating ? Mr. BUXTON : Yes. They are protected from wilful interference or even accidental, by the various regulations laid down for the management of coast stations and ship stations. Mr. DEAKIN : We in Australia have before us at present at least two systems of wireless telegraphy. One has established stations. Mr. BUXTON : One is the Marconi, and what is the other ? Mr. DEAKIN : The De Forrest, and we have proposals from a third. It means considerable expense on a very long coast line if any one of those systems is to be adopted. If stations were established simply for defence purposes, should we be under any obligation to allow their use in time of peace ? When this Convention was concluded, we were in the midst of local negotiations, and a good deal of apprehension was created lest, if we went to this expense, one of the effects of the Convention might be to require us to place those stations at the disposal of Powers inimical to us.
Fifteenth Day. 14 May 1907.
Wireless Telegraphy. (Mr. Buxton.)
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