307

A.—4;

15 June, 1911.] Nationalization of the Atlantic Cable. [9th DaySir JOSEPH W\RD— cont. required to be conservative in their estimates, 1 have not found an estimate which they did not under-estimate most carefully in order to be safe, and in that respect I compliment the British Post Office on this subject. CHAIRMAN : We understand you withdraw your motion, Sir Joseph ? Sir JOSEPH WARD: I should like to say that the resolution which Mr. Samuel submits meets the position, and as we have virtually spoken upon my motion as well I do not propose to go into it further. CHAIRMAN : May I take it that Mr. Samuel's motion is accepted by the Conference ? [Agreed.] After a short adjournment. 7. State-owned Telegraph Lines across Canada. " That in order to facilitate the handling of the traffic, and to secure entire control over the route in which it is engaged, the powers of the Pacific Cable Board be extended to enable the Board to erect a land line across Canada." CHAIRMAN : I understand in view of the decision arrived at a short time ago, you do not propose to move No. 7. Sir JOSEPH WARD : No, I think the former decision governs this, and under the circumstances I accept the former decision. Development of Telegraphic Communication within the Empire. " That the great importance of wireless telegraphy for social, commercial, and defensive purposes, renders it desirable that the scheme of wireless telegraphy approved at the Conference held at Melbourne in December, 1909, be extended as far as practicable throughout the Empire, with the ultimate object of establishing a chain of British State-owned wireless stations, which, in emergency, will enable the Empire to be to a great extent independent of submarine cables." Sir JOSEPH WARD : In moving this resolution 1 would like to say that the wireless system which has been in operation in different parts of the world up to now has advanced so considerably during the last five years that it offers a great inducement to hive what I would call a world-wide Empire .system established. In New Zealand, as a precedent of what I am urging should be extended abroad, we have accepted a contract for two high-power stations, and there is a guarantee given supported by a financial bond of two powerful financial men under which it is guaranteed that our system in daylight will carry messages 1,250 miles. That means they will reach in the daytime to both Sydney and Melbourne from our two highpower stations. One of those two stations is in the north of New Zealand, and will cover Fiji, which is under the British administration, coming into line for the creation of a wireless system there. Then we have a number of islands in the Pacific attached to New Zealand where wireless is to be established. In addition to the two high-power stations we are putting up four low-power stations to enable communication to be had with the distant islands belonging to New Zealand, the Auckland Islands, for instance, and the Chatham Islands, and all the ships in our waters will be provided with wireless equipment, and will be in complete touch with one another and our country. We are also establishing low-power wireless systems on both our Government steamers; so that the whole of the steamers, both belonging to public companies and the Government steamers in our waters, will all be provided with the wireless system.