89. Mr. T. THOMSONasked the Postmaster-General what stage has been 2034 reached in the promotion of his scheme to provide an efficient Imperial wireless service; and when it will be in operation?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONThe answer to this question is rather long, but perhaps, in view of the importance of the matter, and of previous questions that have been asked on the subject, the House will bear with me while I read it.
The high power station which is in course of erection at Rugby is expected to be completed about November next.
Sites for the beam stations for communication with Canada and South Africa have been placed at the disposal of the Marconi Company, and the stations are due to be completed early in October. Sites for the beam stations for communication with India and Australia have been submitted to the company for approval, and those stations should be completed within nine months of the actual provision of the sites.
The corresponding beam stations in the Dominions are in various stages of progress. The latest reports indicate that the South African and Canadian stations will be completed about the same time as the corresponding stations here. The stations in India and Australia will probably not be ready before the end of this year, or the early part of next year.
The Dominions have been invited to nominate representatives to a permanent committee under the chairmanship of the Assistant Postmaster-General, to consider practical details of working the services, including such matters as routing of messages and tariffs.