June 29, 1911] 



NATURE 



60: 



metallic connection as used for wire telegraphs. . The 

 earth wire may have a condenser in series with it, or it 

 may be connected to what is really equivalent, a capacity 

 area placed close to the surface of the ground. It is now 

 perfectly well known that a condenser, if large enough, 

 does not prevent the passage of high-frequency oscilla- 

 tions, and therefore in this case, when a so-called balancing 

 capacity is used, the antenna is for all practical purposes 

 connected to earth. 



I am also of opinion that there is absolutely no founda- 

 tion in the statement, which has recently been repeated, to 

 the effect that an earth connection is detrimental to good 

 tuning, provided, of course, that the earth is good. 



Certainly, in consequence of its resistance, what elec- 

 tricians call a bad earth will damp out the oscillations, 

 and in that way make tuning difficult ; but no such effect 

 is noticed when employing an efficient earth connection. 



In conclusion, I believe that 1 am not any too bold 

 when I say that wireless telegraphy is tending to revolu- 

 tionise our means of communication from place to place 

 on the earth's surface. For example, commercial messages 

 containing a total of 812,200 words were sent and received 

 between Clifden and Glace Bay from May i, 19 10, to the 

 end of April, 191 1 ; wireless telegraphy has already 

 furnished means of communication between ships and the 

 shore where communication was before practically 

 impossible. The fact that a system of imperial wireless 

 telegraphy is to be discussed by the Imperial Conference 

 now holding its meetings in London shows the supremely 

 important position which radio-telegraphy over long 

 distances has assumed in the short space of one decade. 

 Its importance from a commercial, naval, and military 

 point of view has increased very greatly during the last 

 few years as a consequence of the innumerable stations 

 which have been erected or are now in course of con- 



struction on 

 .--.., various coasts, in 



,.'''' ) •, ■-. inland regions, 



.''..., / \ ,•••."•.. and on board 



•'/' ,'/ ,..— » :'""'••. \\ "• ships in all parts 



•'' // .•■'... ,* \ .'■--;•. \\ of the world. 



,-.;■,' /'/ ]: ,.•::>...';;::•. \\ V- \\i " Notwithstanding 

 ■';•;'■'/■■, ; ■' /■''.•'■■'-T':""-"'-."'- '•';='"'••. '^■' V'', this multiplicitv of 

 Wyi&&'''-y^'y'^^^^^^^^ stations and their 



[e[1 almost constant 



operation, I can 

 Fig. 13- say from practical 



experience that 

 mutual interference between properly equipped and effici- 

 ently tuned instruments has so far been almost entirely 

 absent. Some interference does without doubt take place 

 between ships in consequence of the fact that the t\vo 

 wave-lengths adopted in accordance with the rules laid 

 down by the International Convention are not sufficient for 

 the proper handling of the very large amount of messages 

 transmitted from the ever-increasing number of ships fitted 

 with wireless telegraphy, k considerable advantage will 

 be obtained by the utilisation of a third and longer wave 

 to be employed exclusively for communication over long 

 distances. 



In regard to the high-power Transatlantic stations, the 

 facility with which interference has been prevented has to 

 some extent exceeded my expectations, ht a receiving 

 station situated at a distance of only eight miles from the 

 powerful sender at Clifden, during a recent demonstration 

 arranged for the .■\dmiralty, messages could be received 

 from Glace Bay without any interference from Clifden 

 when this latter station was transmitting at full power 

 on a wave-length differing only 25 per cent, from the wave 

 radiated from Glace Bav, the ratio between the maxi- 

 mum recorded range of Clifden and 8 miles being in the 

 proportion of 750 to i. 



Arrangements are being made permanently to send and 

 receive simultaneously at these stations, which, when com- 

 pleted, will constitute in effect the duplexing of radio- 

 telegraphic communication between Ireland and Canada. 



Th." result which I have last referred to also goes_ to 

 show that it would be practicable to operate at one time 

 on slightlv different wave-lengths a great number of long- 

 distance stations situated in England and Ireland without 

 danger of mutual interference. 



NO. 2174, VOL. 86] 



The extended use of wireless telegraphy is principally 

 dependent on the ease with which a number of stations 

 can be efficiently worked in the vicinity of each other. 



Considering that the wave-lengths at present in use 

 range from 200 to 23,000 feet, and, moreover, that wave- 

 group tuning and directive systems are now available, it is 

 not difficult to foresee that this comparatively new method 

 of communication is destined to fill a position of the 

 greatest importance in facilitating communication through- 

 out the world. 



-Apart from long-distance work, the practical value of 

 wireless telegraphy may perhaps be divided into two parts, 

 (i) when used for transmission over sea, (.2) when used 

 over land. 



Many countries, including Italy, Canada, and Spain, 

 have already supplemented their ordinary telegraph systems 

 by wireless telegraphy installations, but some time must 

 pass before this method of communication will be very 

 largely used for inland purposes in Europe generally, 

 owing to the efficient network of landlines already exist- 

 ing, which render further means of communication un- 

 necessary ; and therefore it is probable that, at any rate 

 for the present, the main use of radio-telegraphy will be 

 confined to extra-European countries, in some of which 

 climatic conditions and other causes absolutely prohibit 

 the efficient maintenance of landline telegraphy. A proof 

 of this has Ueen afforded by the success which has attended 

 the working of the stations recently erected in Brazil on 

 the Upper .Amazon. 



By the majority of people the most marvellous side of 

 wireless telegraphy is perhaps considered to be its use at 

 sea. Up to the time of its introduction, ships at any 

 appreciable distance from land had no means of getting 

 in touch with the shore throughout the whole duration of 

 their voyage. But those who now make long sea journeys 

 are no longer cut off from the rest of the world ; business 

 men can continue to correspond at reasonable rates with 

 their offices in America or Europe ; ordinary social 

 messages can be exchanged between passengers and their 

 friends on shore ; a daily newspaper is published on board 

 most of the principal liners giving the chief news of the 

 day. Wireless telegraphy has on more than one occasion 

 proved an invaluable aid to the course of justice, a well- 

 known instance of which is the arrest which took place 

 recentlv through its agency of a notorious criminal when 

 about to land in Canada. 



The chief benefit, however, of radio-telegraphy lies in 

 the facility which it affords to ships in distress of com- 

 municating their plight to neighbouring vessels or coast 

 stations ; that it is now considered indispensable for this 

 reason is shown by the fact that several Governments have 

 passed a law making a wireless telegraph installation a 

 compulsory part of the equipment of all passenger boats 

 entering their ports. 



I 



THE PROPOSED TEACHERS' REGISTRATION 

 COUNCIL. 



r would seem from the recently published Parliamentary 

 Paper (Cd. 5726), entitled " Further Papers relating 

 to the Registration of Teachers and the proposed Regis- 

 tration Council," that the formation of the much desired 

 Teachers' Council, with which will rest the responsibility of 

 preparing a Register of Teachers, will not be long delayed. 



The papers include a surtmiary of proceedings at the 

 conference of November, 1909, convened by the Federal 

 Council of Secondary School .Associations in conjunction 

 with other important educational associations ; the 

 alternative proposals discussed in Parliament in 1906, and 

 other minutes and important data concerning the forma- 

 tion of such a council of teachers. The most important 

 section, however, is that containing a report by Sir Robert 

 Morant, secretary to the Board of Education, upon three 

 informal conferences held recently at the Board of Educa- 

 tion to discuss the whole matter, together with the outline 

 of a scheme for the formation of a Teachers' Council. 



This scheme lays great emphasis upon the question of 

 the unification of the teaching profession, and makes pio- 

 vision for full representation upon the council of the 

 universiti"s of England and Wales. On this point Sir 

 Robert Morant savs : — 



