The sun., 1902-03-04
BRITAIN TO STOP MARCONI?
HIS WORK MAY INTERFERE WITH
ADMIRALTY EXPERIMENTS.
Postmaster-Cenerai So Tells House OF
Lords, Though Msrconi Apparatus
Is on British warships-No License
Yet for Inland TeieGraphyin the United
Kingdom -Tesla's Idea Of the situation.
Special Cable Despatch TO THE SUN


LONDON, March 3.-Replying to a question
In the House OF Lords to-day as TO the
Governments attitude on the question
OF wireless telegraphy Lord Londonderry,
the Postmaster General. said he could not
speak in behalf Of the Government as the
Admiralty and Board Of Trade we're inter-
ested equally with the Post Office. but on
behalf of the Post Office he would say he
regarded the matter as Of enormous Inn
portance.
He believed that It would be an immense
advantage in the future in regard TO the
promotion of commerce OF all kinds. When
the opportunity occurred, the Post ONCE
would have every facility for the develop
ment OF the system and would utilize 1t as
much as possible for the benefit Of the
public.
Lord Londonderry pointed out, how
ever, that while the patentees Of the sys-
tenn did not require Government authorize
ton 80 far as sintercommunication between
ships at sea was CONCERNED, II was other
wise as regards communication between
ships and signal stations ashore. Any
thing interfering with the latter would be
an absolute Infringement Of the rights OF
the Post Office.
He, however, sympathized with the COM
| mercial representatives, who, in 1901, hac
| represented TO him the great advantages
| that would accrue from granting Signor
Marconi license TO communicate in British
territorial waters. He would gladly grant
| the license. but he had TO consider the inter-
ests and views Of other departments.
Wireless telegraphy in the hands OF pri-
vnte companies at the present moment
might interfere seriously with the expert
| ments the Admiralty was now making ex-
| tensively on the south coast, and until
the Admiraltys doubts on the subject were
dissolved he could not give license He
had discussed the matter with Lord Sell
borne, First Lord OF the Admiralty.
Regarding the ordinary use OF the Marconi
system within the United Kingdom he
would be inclined to grant license. but
proof was vet needed that the system could
be worked more efficiently and economically
than the existing wire system. Until the
Marconi system was perfected he did not
feel justified In involving the Post Office
In any risk as far as assisting Signor Mar
conf went
He could not say what might be done
in the future Possibly in the course Of
time wireless telegraphy would be worked
at a profit. Then the Post Office might
support IL, but meantime it was simply
watching keenly all that was done and
all developments and improvements were
being reported. II the reports proved
that il would benefit the country TO sup
port the stem the Post Office would do to.
An interviewer tried TO obtain state
ment from Lord Kelvin regarding Signor
tts INA 90 nj the steamer
Philadelphia when 1000 miles from land.
He merely replied that the facts as pub
lished speak for themselves
Shares Of the Marconi company rose 7.
to-day at the Stock Exchange, and shares
of the cable companies deprecated frac-
tionally.
A representative Of Mr.. Marconi's COM
pany said last evening that he under
stood the British Postmaster-General's an
pouncement, as cabled to the evening
papers, TO refer to inland telegraphy
only within the United Kingdom
The Government has monopoly
Of telegraphy and telephony within the
| kingdom, but does not assert control OF
such electrical communication between
land and ships or between land stations
|
| stations, he said,
| The company has number OF stations
within tho realm for communication with
ships and with other stations across the
water with which the Government in no
way wishes TO interfere, he said, and on
the other hand the Marconi company has
not sought to do an inland telegraphic
business in Great Britain.
| This representative Of the Marconi in
terests repeated what Mr.. Marconi has be-
fore said in this country and elsewhere, that
the experiments being carried on by the
| British Admiralty in wireless telegraphy
are conducted with Marconi instruments.
| The Admiralty. however, he said, is inter-
ested in communication by sea and between
sea and shore and not in inland telegraphy
| The reported announcement by the Post
master General, therefore, he said, did not
| affect the Marconi company's plans.
Nikola Tesla when asked what he under
stood by the reported decision Of the British
| Postmaster General, said:
| Il suppose that the British Admiralty
| is experimenting with the Instruments
which have been installed on some Of the
| British warships, and inasmuch as they
are not capable of attunement, these in
struments have been interfered with in
! their WOIhlIEss
| 1T is a popular error into which some
prominent scientific men have fallen, that
exclusive wireless telegraphy can be car
ricd on by Hert zian rays. This kind Of
telegraphy Is just like photography, only
the rays are invisible. The best one could
do would be to send ray In particular
| direction. This can be done with light,
but tho Hertzian rays have not the great
penetrative force of light and they spread
| out in all directions. SO II comes that
when a powerful oscillator, such rs would
be capable of carrying the electrical dis
turbance, IL worked, all other wireless
instruments are more or loss affected.
Il can attribute the decision OF the Post
master-General to no other cause than to
such an interference with the Government
! Instruments.
$50 ne time ago a scientific friend in Lon
don, to whom wrote for particulars, in
formed ne that the permission OF the Post
master-General was required TO erect one
of my power plants in England Tor the
| transmission Of wireless messages.
SHOULD | not get such permission, ]
would emphatically protest. ! have OBJ
| tanned patents in Great Britain for the
| transmission Of energy without wires and
L