HC Deb 01 November 1920 vol 134 cc66-7W
Major GLYN

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will give instructions to those in charge of the wireless station at Mauritius to connect up with the meteorological observatory at that place and make it a matter of routine to pass daily weather reports, free of charge, at stated hours, in order that all vessels in those seas, so subject to storms, may have the advantage of that information; and whether vessels within wireless range of Mauritius will be instructed to pass weather reports of their surroundings for the information of the observatory?

Sir J. CRAIG

Two periods a day are set aside by the Admiralty for the transmission of weather bulletins by Mauritius Wireless Station. The question of ships passing weather data messages to shore stations is at present occupying the attention of the Meteorological Office.

Major GLYN

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the wireless stations forming the Imperial W/T chain of communication are all under the control of the Admiralty; whether it is possible to ensure passing a message by wireless from Bombay to England without at some point having to relay it on to a cable; and whether the station at Aden as at present designed is capable of dealing with the traffic passed to it without causing the commercial work of vessels to suffer?

Sir J. CRAIG

With regard to the first part of the question, the stations at present under the control of the Admiralty were not designed to form what is usually understood by the term "Imperial Chain." No such chain at present exists. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative. With regard to the third part of the question, this is covered by my reply to Question No. 5 on the same subject.