§ 38. Mr. JAMES HOGGEasked the Postmaster-General if he is now able to give any definite information regarding the erection of a wireless telegraphic installation at St. Kilda; whether he can say who is bearing the cost of such installation; and what arrangement will be made to maintain the installation?
§ 39. Mr. FREDERICK WHYTEasked whether the St. Kilda wireless telegraph station has been erected; and, if so, under 587 what conditions it will be available for ordinary public communication with the mainland?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI understand that a wireless installation has now been sent to St. Kilda, and that its erection—under the licence granted for the purpose last January—will very shortly be completed. The cost of the installation and of its maintenance will fall upon the licensee. The service is to be used only in case of emergency—communication being effected via the Post Office wireless station at Loch Boisdale. The ordinary inland telegraph rate of ½d. a word, with a minimum of 6d. per message, will be charged.
§ Major ANSTRUTHER-GRAYWill this be under the charge of the Post Office officials, or is it a private undertaking?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELNo, it is a private undertaking.
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI have no information. It is not erected by the Post Office, but by a private licensee.
41. Captain FABERasked the Postmaster-General whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the Reports of his expert advisers in accordance with which he decided not to throw open the Imperial wireless contract to public tender?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe original Reports were made at a meeting of the Inter-departmental Committee on the Imperial Wireless Chain in August, 1911, when it was decided not to invite tenders. The Committee's discussions were of a confidential character, but the Report of them was submitted to the recent Select Committee of this House. The decision not to invite tenders was adhered to by the Government after the repudiation by the Marconi Company of the contract of July, 1912, partly as a consequence of the Report of the Scientific Advisory Committee presided over by Lord Parker. That Report stated that according to the result of their investigation the Marconi system is at present the only system of which it can be said with any certainty that it is capable of fulfilling the requirements of the Imperial chain.
§ Mr. G. TERRELLCould not the objection to throwing this contract open 588 to public competition be overcome by requiring the parties tendering to give substantial financial guarantees for an efficient service?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELNo, we want to be sure that the contractors will be able to perform the services which are required. A financial guarantee is not adequate. Actual tests are essential beforehand.
§ Mr. G. TERRELLAre the Marconi Company giving guarantees beyond the tests which have been accepted?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe tests have been applied in their case and satisfactorily passed. They are not required to give guarantees because no payment is being made until the stations are completed.
Mr. F. HALLIf there has been any considerable improvement since that Report was made will the right hon. Gentleman take it into consideration and allow demonstrations to be made to prove whether the Goldschmidt system is able to do this work?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI have asked the representatives of the Goldschmidt system to allow me to send officers of the Post Office and of the Admiralty to watch any demonstrations which they may be in a position to make, but so far the company have not given me any such permission.
42. Captain FABERasked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the altered circumstances attending the arrangement of the Imperial wireless service brought about by the success of the Goldschmidt system in establishing wireless communication in daytime between stations situated apart the record distance of 3,600 geographical miles, his expert advisers have tendered him further counsel with respect to the desirability of throwing the contract for the Imperial service open to public tenders; and, if so, will he lay that counsel upon the Table of the House?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELNo such counsel has been tendered.
Captain FABERHave the Goldschmidt representatives expressed their willingness to tender for the Imperial service?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELYes, but they have not yet expressed their willingness to submit their system to any test.
Captain FABERHave they signed any guarantee that they will do all the work of the Imperial service?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELMany people would be quite willing to guarantee that.
§ 48. Mr. GINNELLasked whether a person who, while negotiating a contract with the Government, confers a gratuitous favour on a Member of that Government, suffers any disqualification for negotiating a further contract with that same Government; and, if the rules governing other public bodies in this respect do not apply, under what rules the new contract for the construction of the Imperial wireless chain is now being negotiated?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe question put by the hon. Gentleman is a hypothetical one. It is the duty of the Government in any contract which it makes to do the best for the public inteest.
58. Mr. F. HALLasked the Postmaster-General if he has any information as to the nature of the agreement entered into between the Norwegian Government and Marconi' s Wireless Telegraph Company to provide a North Europe Transatlantic service; if the American Marconi Company will under this agreement erect any of the stations; whether under the proposed agreement with the Post Office any similar works would have been carried out by either the American or the Canadian Marconi Companies; and, if so, will he give the particulars of the same?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe Norwegian Government entered into a contract with the British Marconi Company, subject to ratification by the Norwegian Parliament, for the erection of a long-range wireless telegraph station in Norway to communicate with America. The American Marconi Company was a party to the agreement and undertook to erect a corresponding station in the United States. The station to be provided in Norway was similar in character to the stations proposed for the British Imperial chain, but the price payable was £70,000 for the one station in lieu of the £60,000 for each of six stations payable under the contract of last July with the British Government. Proportions of the purchase money under the Norwegian contract were payable prior to the completion of the station, while under the British contract nothing was payable until the stations were erected and had proved their capacity to communicate. The same 590 percentage of the gross receipts was payable as royalty in both cases, but the Norwegian Government had the option of commuting the royalty payments for a lump sum of £30,000 at any time. The Norwegian Parliament has ratified the contract within the last few days. Under the contract with the British Government no work of any kind would have been carried out by the American or Canadian Marconi Companies.
Mr. F. HALLMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether that does not prove the close connection between the English Marconi system and the American Marconi system?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELIt only proves that if you have Transatlantic traffic, you must have stations on both sides of the Atlantic. There is not necessarily any closer connection than between the British Post Office and the French Post Office who co-operate to carry communications across the Channel.
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThey work in co-operation certainly for the purposes of the Transatlantic service.