A Cable Manager’s Views of Wireless Telegraphy.
At the annual meeting of the Commercial Cable Company on March 3, 1903, Mr. Ward, the Vice-President and General Manager, referring to wireless telegraphy, said: “At the last annual meeting some remarks were made by me in regard to wireless telegraphy and its effects upon submarine cables. We see no reason to change the opinion expressed at that time.
“Admitting the recent transmission of a message across the Atlantic without wires, radical improvements would have to be made in its development before wireless telegraphy could possibly hope to meet the demands of trade and commerce, and engage in successful competition with submarine cables.
“A good deal has been said and advertised about the wireless systems for the past three years. As yet there is nothing to show that messages can be transmitted without wires even across short distances with anything of the regularity, reliability, correctness and secrecy at any time and all time during the day or night demanded of the present telegraph systems, and necessary for the protection, interests and the development of the telegraph business.
“Furthermore, the transmission of messages between European and American coasts of the Atlantic is far from constituting a transatlantic service as it exists to-day.
“The essential adjunct of an extensive inland system for the distribution and collection of messages on the North American Continent must not be lost sight of. A large part of the traffic passing by the Atlantic cables is destined for places remote from the seaboard. Messages to and from Chicago, St Louis, San Francisco, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Vancouver, etc., require and receive transmission which are measured by minutes. This important traffic would be practically extinguished if the sender could not rely on extremely rapid and accurate service.
“For the benefit of those who do not share my confidence I may say that the etheric waves will be as obedient to us as to anybody, if it should ever be found practicable to dispense with cables and wires.
“On the other hand, we have not been standing still in the matter of improvements.
“The Commercial Cable Company will maintain its pre-eminence, and has nothing to dread from the competition of wire or wireless telegraphy. At the same time we are satisfied it has its limits.”