The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-03-02
NAVY AND
WIRELESS
ROOSEVELT URGES LEGISLATION
FOR THE PROTECTION or or
IICIAL MESSAGES.

The following is q special message
sent to Congress by the President on
February l3:
10 the Senate and House of Repre-.
sontatiyes:
] have received the following letter
. from Secretary of the Navy.
February u, 1908.
Sir: The Navy Department has the
honor to invite the attention of the
Executive to the necessity for the
enactment of legislation whereby the
representatives of the government may
have such control of wireless tele-
graphy as VIII insure noninterference
with official messages.
The Navy Department has. by order
] of the President, the control of the
! government coast stations, but unofi-
cial messad sent by these stations or
by public vessels may be interfered
with by other wireless stations operat-
| ed either by commercial companies
with a legitimate object or by irres-
| ponsible persons with malicious intent.
Frequent occasions have arisen to
illustrate the possible consequences OF
wireless interference; on one occasion
an important message to the President
of the United States, while embarked
on naval vessel, was interfered with
and held up for a considerable time by
! the workings of a commercial wireless
! station; and instances have occurred
wherein the naval stations at Newport
Washington and San Francisco have
at different time been interfered with
| by persons operating with no serious
object.
The recent international Wireless
| Telegraph Convention at Berlin, to
which the United States was a party,
deals only with wireless telegraph sta
| lions open to public service between
the coast and vessels at sea" and,
| therefore, does not take cognizance of
stations operated by private individuals
for other than public service. 1t may
be noted however, that article of the
| convention requires that: THE work
ing of the wireless telegraph stations
shall be organized, as far as possible
in such manner as not to disturb the
service of other wireless telegraph sta.
tons"
In view of the foregoing, the Navy
Department recommends that such le-
! gislation be enacted as will insure
freedom of official messages from in.
| reference, To accomplish this the
law should make it a punishable of.
Tense: HE
(a) To originate or transmit a false
message purporting to be official;
! Oh To break in and interfere with
any wireless station while it is trans
hitting an official message;
(c) To refuse to cease or fail to
cease sending a private wireless mes
sage when called upon to do so by an
operator having an official message to
be sent.
1t will be noted that the enactment
of law of the nature proposed would
never seriously interfere with the
legitimate working OF commercial wire
less installations. The restrictions
suggested are intended to apply par
ticularly to times of peace. During
war it is contemplated that much more
extensive prohibitions would be exer.
cised to be put into effect in the alb.
sence of legislation by Executive pro
clamation as a belligerent right.
81 am sir, with great respect,
V. H. METCALF.
Secretary.
l cordially indorse all that is above
stated, and recommend the passage
of such legislation as will accomplish
the desired end.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
The White House, Feb. 10, 1908.