166 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL 



his outstanding achievements in the engineering field. General Carty 

 is widely regarded as the doyen or, to be more correct, the dean of the 

 telephone engineering profession, and we shall be glad if he will say a 

 few words and propose a resolution on the subject of our joint meeting. 

 General Carty spoke for a moment and then offered the following 

 resolution. 



Whereas on this 16th day of February, 1928, the members of the 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers assembled in London, and the 

 members of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers assembled 

 in New York, have held, through the instrumentality of the trans- 

 atlantic telephone, a joint meeting at which those in attendance in both 

 cities were able to participate in the proceedings and hear all that was 

 said, although the two gatherings were separated by the Atlantic 

 Ocean; and as this meeting, the first of its kind, has been rendered 

 possible by engineering developments in the application of electricity 

 to communication by telephone ; therefore, 



Be it resolved that this meeting wishes to express its feelings of deep 

 satisfaction that, by the electrical transmission of the spoken word, 

 these two national societies have been brought together in this new 

 form of international assembly, which should prove to be a powerful 

 agency in the increase of good will and understanding among the 

 nations; and 



Be it further resolved that a record of this epoch-making event be 

 inscribed in the minutes of each society. 



Chairman Page: Sir Oliver Lodge, who needs no introduction, is 

 sitting beside me and I have asked him to second the motion. 



Sir Oliver Lodge: Mr. Chairman, I think it very kind of you and 

 the Council to allow me to take part in this important occasion, to 

 send greetings to our many American friends. It is surely right and 

 fitting that a record of the transmission of human speech across the 

 Atlantic be placed upon the minutes of those societies whose members 

 have been most instrumental in making such an achievement possible, 

 and I second the proposal that has just been made from America. 

 All those who in any degree have contributed to such a result from 

 Maxwell and Hertz downwards, including all past members of the 

 old British society of telegraph engineers, will rejoice at this further 

 development of the power of long distance communication. Many 

 causes have contributed to make it possible; that speech is trans- 

 missible at all is due to the invention of the telephone. That speech 

 can be transmitted by ether waves is due to the invention of the 

 valve and the harnessing of electrons for that purpose. That ether 

 waves are constrained by the atmosphere to follow the curvature 

 of the earth's surface is an unexpected bonus on the part of Providence, 

 such as is sometimes vouchsafed in furtherance of human effort. 



