10
RADIO
"HAMS'
T
A
މ
HELD
E announcement of the forma 1/011 of
Civilian Wireless Reserve, composed of amateur radio transmitters, focuses attention on the followers of one of the world's most romantic hobbles,
trans-
British amateur wireless mitters will now have the chance of
placing the knowledge nequired in their spare time at the service of
their country.
In the British Isles there are 2.500
that
Try
and
THERE is a vast deal of ++
talk in England at pre- sent about free opinion and free speech-and there is also a most sinister and sustained attack against it.
transmitting holders of amateur licences. Numbered among
First there is the officiul body of enthusiasts are representa- tives of every class; there are par-attack, that is, the offensive one carried out against free speak- Deer, and several women. Every Ing and writing under cover of one of them is known as a "ham."
the Official Secrets Act.
Newspapers
sons and
policemen, at least
The "ham" is the keenest of all enthusiasts. The room, or part of il, in which he erects his wireless feur is known as his "chack," whether it consists of a sporo tabio in the drawingroom, a garden shed, or an empty room at the top of the
house.
the shack
to an enemy.
Jackied have been
It was
THE
HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1938.
to
we
by
muzzle us,
FRANK
will bite!
OWEN
Of the Daily Express
Jone
successors
Let any one spend a short time in control of the news in a news- paper office and he will get an eye- opener about the number of people who want items "kept ous of the paper."
Fond mothers and fathers, rich
of song parents
who steal and cheat. Men and women involved
In in marital cases, found drunk charge of a motor-car, caught In night club raids, named in court on being connected with rogues.
And when you refusO to with- hold from publication the facts of by this measure for years.
which every politician, radio parson, be injured by the publication of their follies or misdeeds they nee the sack, or sua designed solely, it was sald. to pre bank chol mon and after dinner wills. There is the case of a man going to get you
nowspaper, or induce some vent the betrayal of defence plans bore feels called upon to observe, who died the other day reputed
A twenty- wealthy. Out came his will, and lot BIG SHOT in the Government of something to overrule your decision. In that guise it was "put across" and therefore give us
minute plece about No Dictators it was proved for a modest sum. Here.
At once flims with whom he had Why? Because you are INTRUDING on o personal exploiting of their the House of Commons. I use the even the words advisedly. Not
business began to press his own, You лге exploiting your House of Commons would have At the same time many of the cer
for payment. And the knowledge of a "private affair."
were thereby much After samo time the walls of accepted the Official Secrets Act if same people lose no opportunity to poor fellows
the embarrassed, which they never with they had realised thint a few years pan, blackguard, and bully
It one of these crilles of the news- become covered "QSL" cards-postcards bearing the later it would be invoked to punish Press for publishing what they can- would have been but for that intru- papers enters a household, intruding
sive newspaper reporter. a reporter who published police in aider "Harmful News." call signs and details of other opera-
on his friend's personal life so con-
h about criminal that
"Harmful News" is any serious tors who have heard his transmis-formation
Well Well! It was a public dis- siderably and effectively that he Klons.
might have been stuck on ony criticism of the Mighty Ministers or country, police station notice board. (recently) Almighty Archbi- service, was it, to let that business steats his wife and a divorce cuse as a trader be follows-please do not mention it. The other day a bookmaker gave shops.
it would be unwarranted constable a false muldress. He was inful News" is that which known to the other traders who sup- for
piled him with goods on credit INTRUSION on your parti charged under the Official Secrets refers to sumebody's divorce, though which he didn't deserve? Act.
a full and even fulsome account of Stories lout French, German, the same person's wedding twelve and American military devices are months earlier Is Good Wholesome "Harmful News" is what you foreign newspapers. News. pubilsted in
International Friendshipa
The fellowship of amateur radio is world-wide, and many interesting friendships have been made "over the air. To the ordinary listener, the language
used by the "ham" may be unintelligible, consisting as
the
The reporter who writes about them don't want to read about yourself, it does of a jargon of letters and here will be "sent for," and the sug- brother. Well, if you want to be Bgures. But that Jargon is an in-gestion made that he is indient- free you have got to learn to take ternational language, that can make ing that we postes them also.
it.
a Scots transmitter understood in Japan, or a South American in Aus- tralia.
tiers.
Who Are The Bosses?
EVERY
one 18 familiar and bored to tears-witi
"Gag The Dead!" CONSIDER, else, the fantas-
real worth man's
Justice Dumb Too?
NEXT
We
courts.
on
Scourging Our Own Backs
No
JO! We must fight back the to come
beat down utterly and this cowardly thing of secrecy. Like Nice goings there, eh? At a thief works by stealth and in If we encourage or per- Nottingham the magistrates refuse to the night.
number 35A, the slender rein
of our senst
of
let the reporters in to tell of a case mit it we shall plait a whip to Insh lest their report should prejudice the our own backs. accused at some future trial. Does Start now to look yourself in the eye! How many things we should that appent to you? Perticularly In Britain, the ama-
Now the case of Mrs. Mullins is all do that we ought not to do if length to which cen-
moking the Wrekin ring. Mrs, only we could be sure of suppress- tour radio enthusist Is u ploncer. the Sandys core. There the M.P.3 sorship can go!
Mullins, the wife of the stipendiary ing the story! Why, we should all Regulations forbid him to
It was on Coronation Day that a rose up in all their dignity to defend more than a certain power, to pre- their rights of 'speech.
tragedy affecting one of the partici- magistrate in the court in which she be little dictators, run by our own is brought up unindenti- caprice and desire, checked only by vent his interfering with commercial
is except by the But I am not much upset about pants in the ceremony occurred. ned wireless stations. But with his the M.P.a. They were not much Newspaper contents bills
stated Mr. Mullins is not himself in court, propriety. Umited power he has worked won-upset about the rest of us when we "Coronation Tragedy," which wa She la dismissed and but for the Do we not see every day in our
was. crying out against the unwarranted exactly what
nothing more study of world politics how Power restrictions of thal Act. When Up rose the worthy Sir Arnold inquiring reporter Lavish expenditure does not en- Dingle Foot, M.P., told the House of Wilson, M.P., in the House of Com. would ever have been heard of it, corrupts even the strongest of men Very nice for Mrs. Mullins, and for and how Absolute Power corrupts sure the construction of a success-Commons that they might be able mons (a frequent contributor to the the rest of us, too, if we can get absolutely? Why, then, do we sup- ful transmitting set. Many a set themselves under its mude from materials costing in all s
was loud inught Provisions there Press, by the way) and demanded away with it, but we can't, and why pose that the rest of us would re-
to know what action the Home should Mrs
Mrs. Mullins?
main immune from its corroding a pound or two has achieved results
The House of Commons are very Secretary would take to stop this beiter than those obtained by another
When I was in the House of Com- quality if we were allowed to muz- forward in boasting that they are kind of thing. "calculated to depress mens had to adjourn that Assem- zle criticism?
I mado from the finest components the final repository of power in our the public by exploiting private sore bly before I could get out of jail a The public Press remains the money can buy.
democracy. But
of public re- poucher lad who had been convicted greatest social corrective When commercial broadcasting wrong. Even that horse has a joc Joicing."
after grossly Improper private con- weaknesses and wickednesses. As though the sun, the stars, and key. The people of England are the
I allow became an established fact, internal bosses of their own horse-or, moon, and all
that there are fabulation between the magistrates national, agreements were made,
of and one of the prosecutors. Publica- Newspaper men will tell you of in- no doubt stances where the desire and duty to "get the story" has led to regret- love had to stand still on that occa- Take the Divorce Courts. The table practices by enger reporters, to
of relatives, a` compound of non- newspapers are forbidden to report the pestering sense! The Home Secretary let him details there. That lifted from us thoughtless infliction of poin on HE truly dangerous on down gently in reply. THE
reporters a great responsibility. And loved ones. set against liberty does Then there are the people who the result?' An improvement in not
But set against the vast business come from Governments. We seek to suppress the publication of
morals?
of gathering, sifting and swiftly and Since of can put them in their place. The wills. Sir
was withheld divorce has accurately presenting the news, this real enemy is more subtle. "Free (Lord! how they harass us, these ex
side of our trade has been infinitely
they are quite row on occusions
the mechanism
limiting the wave-length on which if you like it, in the oir authority, Happiness, achievement, hate, and Harantul News, Wis,
own house. universal human sorrow, despair, tion of that
amateur transmitters could operate, Formerly the hams" had worked on whatever
they waye-length pleased. In future they were re- legated to the short-wave bands, then thought to be practically use less.
Valuable Pioneer Work
Forced to experiment under sup- posedly hopeless conditions, the "hams won through. One of the laid the foundations of the present shortwave Empire service by his experiments over
dozen years
ago.
Other amateurs pioneered in ex-
"ading" in long-distance transmis- sions. The 24-hour radio net work
Harmful News
slon! What
William Davison, M.P. Private
extended.
of men's
abuses.
the
speech" is still a grand bastion to defenders of · democracy), gocs Ask yourself then if it is an ad- more distorted than the wildest story defer defend in England. It cannot be further an Sir Arnold who wants vantage that justice should be dumb that any newspaper yet told. stormed as yet by frontal assault. to ng the living. Sir William as well as blind. But the funk may be turned. The wants to put the stopper on. the gute may be betrayed from within. dend.
"Intrusion"
INTRUSION. That
And note, please, that the British Press, In respect, at all events, of
its serious and decent sale, is weed- Inf
its own garden more drastically the to-day than ever.
Why? Because the enemy is among Why? Because he considers that us, he is every one of us!
it is not in the public interest that We have all joined in the Grent detalls of wills should be known..
great word; tle thing There is no secret in telling you Liberty Ballyhoo. It began about The Attorney-General shares that in itself, but as damaging as a small why. The public taste is better the time of the Coronation, when view, though his personal opinion stick of dynamite.
than it was and demonds u better
periments to ascertain the causes of we started to crow in chorus about on such a matter of public policy When you, render, wish to con- service.
our own democratic virtue, and to is worth exactly as much as that eucal something which should be The men who spend their work. draw pleasing comparisons of our of the man sitting next to you in known unless others are to do the ing lives handling the news and to of the world in-day owes much of lot with that of the odious dictator- the train. (That is, if we are n de same kind of deed calling for con- some extent forming the public its emelency to amateurs' dia-ships and censorship abroad.
mocracy. Are WC. Mr. Attorney cealment, shout lustily, "latrusion!" views might be forgiven for think- This panegyric of ourselves has General?)
whenever the reporters get on your Ing that they themselves had taken now become part of the public rituni I don't deny that some propłe may track.
some part in the improvement.
coveries.
Last усле an amateur in Galashiels succeeded in transmitting. signals to the United Styles on a
work will really
wave-length of five metres. The can apply for fall transmitting full importance of this feat can be licence, and if the Post Office con- understood when it is realised that siders that his expert opinion laid it down that the suffer from not being able to trans- maximum range of 5-metre transmit, then the licence is granted. missions was not greater than be- tween two points visible to cach uther!
That Scots "bam" caused conster- nation among the military staffs of the world. Five-metre fleld sels had been regarded as ideal for army work, because their
limited range, white enobling communications
be made over short distances, ren dered it unlikely that they could be overheard by distant enemy'
tiona.
The work of the Civilian Wireless Reserve will entail working with portable sets, and under conditions different from those of the ordinary amateur's home station. But this work will not be entirely fresh lo most "ums."
BITS ABOUT
ABOUT A BEADLE
TN a certain awarded the would-be "ham" has to
A
little Border parish,
"How can it affect you?" asked the ill tae live wi' as she was the lay away-then ma sympathy is oot o*
In
ground awfully hard? I seem to be midst had been a source of pride to
and
someone
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STEAMSHIP'S – HOTELS -
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BERTHING PLANS FOR 1939 ARE OPEN
MAKE BOOKINGS EARLY to sacura accommodation desired
TO CANADA, UNITED STATES and EUROPE
via Shanghai, Kobe & Yokohama EMPRESS OF CANADA via Honolulu.........Noen, Fri, Oct. 14. EMPRESS OF RUSSIA EMPRESS OF JAPAN via Honolulu EMPRESS OF ASIA
Air-conditioned equipment
on
.Noon, Thurs, Oct. 27.
Noon, Fri, Nov. 11. ..Noon, Fri, Nov. 25.
C.P.R. Trans-Continental Trains. Frequent Canadian Pacific Atlantio sailinge to Europena Parke
TO MANILA
EMPRESS OF RUSSIA
Thurs., Oct. 20. _.
Union
Building
Canadian Pacific
Telephone 20752
BARBER-WILHELMSEN LINE
Monthly Service to
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
via LOS ANGELES & PANAMA CANAL PORTS also taking cargo on through Bills of Lading for West Indies ports, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Rio Grande do Sol Buenos Aires, South America.
NEXT SAILING:
M.S. "TAI PING"
25th October.
DODWELL & CO., LTD.
Agents.
Hongkong Bank Bldg.
Telephone 28021.
OUR BRITISH
CROSSWORDS
ACROSS
1 Some sailors put an end to this
instrument of pain (18).
This kind of rubber mount is supreme (4).
10 If he flew would this Briton
alight prefer
mountains? on (10).
11 There is no light increase fol-
lowing this (G).
12 A common plant (5). 15 He strove to get pictures over
the heart of him (3). 18 This gives peers a lively change
(6).
But before the licence is finally Sandy, the beadle, was quite a minister,
He was also the grave- "Weel," came the disgruntled an- place." pass a morse lest at a hend Post character.
folk
The minister was greatly annoy- Office, showing his ability to read digger, and in either capacity could swer, "It's aboot seeventeen and send at a minimum speed of 12 be trusted to speak his plain mind movin' their trade away the Aus words a minute.
to peer and pennant alike. His in tralia, and me never broken ground in the parish by neglecting his
parochial duties owing to an unac sistence on regular church atten- for an Elllot yet."
countable mania for poultry farming Naturally Thus is a new "ham" born, and aldanes equalled that of any minister.
his gravedigging to new call-sign-{} Agure and
letters prefixed by a G-appears on from Sabbath observance.
w and he had scant use for backsliders capacity he had a professional in-at he had developed. At the coun- ty show he swept the boards with terest in the health the air. He
of the little prizes, and was standing by his pens or she will soon find The local laird had got into a re- community. It was after a spell a looklak very well pleased with him- hosts of new friends, for radio en- gretable habit of fishing and tramp unsually hard frost that news weut self when Sandy sauntered up. thusiasts in their keenness to achieve ing on Sundays instead of doing his round the village that old Grannie Ever better results, ore always duty at the kirk.
"Well, Sandy," the minister re- One day Sandy Scott was dying within a few weeks ready to give a helping hand their colleagues.
to met the Inird in the cobbler's shop. of her hundredil birthday. The marketi.. "not bad for a beginner is
"Sandy," said the laird, hasn' idea of having a centenarian in their it? Just look at all these prizes."
"Oh, bye, ye've gotten some prizes this long spell of drought made the District Groups
sald Sandy grimly. re- richt enough," many people, wearing my shoes out very quickly marked to Sandy that it would on your parish as ye dae on your wid be fact which Under the auspices of the Radio
will considerably these days."
not a great pity if the old body did Poultry, your congregation
crawin' "Maybe ye are," said Sandy drlly, not five to see her birthday in. Society of Great Britain, the con- help in the speedy organization of
the Wireless Reserve is that under "but ye're certainly no wearin' oot
"I'm no
An Insignificant looking divinity carina dight abool her trolling body of amateur rad the Radio Society of Great Britain, your trousers in your kirk sate ony- birthday," said Sandy, "But I dly student had filled the pulpit in an
has been held,
England, Scotland, and
emergency and find preached a do- Northern wey"
hope she will Init till the thaw." Ireland are already organised into
plornbly poor sermon,
Afterward in the vestry It was also during a spell of severe marked to Sandy that he had felt 11 prominent amateurs
frost that he had the ground to, pre- so nervous he was afraid the con- "Have you heard," sold the minis- pare for the burial of the notori- gregation had taken very little away Society's London headquarters.
ter one morning. "the three Elllat ously shrewish, wife of an elder in with thent that day in the shape of 24 This kind of river has its ups Through these groups, which hold brothers, with their wives and the Tetrk. On the evening of the spiritual food.
and downs (5). periodical
"Oh, meetings, the latest de familles, are all going to emigrate funeral Sandy met the by no means
about It weel," sald Sundy frankly, 20
Chipping a fellow velopments are made known to the to Australia.
disconsolate widower, "I'm no-gan "nuebody can expect a guld denner might produce shavings (5). To gain a transmitting licence isinass of hams." The leading wirer "No," sald Sandy, "I hadna heard, the refer to your loss" was Sandy's got o' an empty pot."
29 s stable occupation is dying not easy.
Although the Post Omee less manufacturers recognise the But it's just ma bloomin' luck.' meeting. "If she was even half aa
out (0).. does not require Applicants to have value of the amateur in radio, for
31 A writer in slang, and his any technical qualifications in radio, most of them have on their, research
mediums do not hurry (10). 32 A revolutionary water feature
(4).
annual field day
This takes the form of
competi-
And the fald was sporting enough
tion, and the conditions under which district groups, each with their re- to take the hint.
of
it is held ensure that the average presentatives in touch with a council radio amateur has already gained knowledge of working under, condl- tions almller to those of an emer
попку.
Probationary Licences
it does demand that they should staffs at least one "ham."
show
o genuine desire to expert- ment
and make researches Into wireless problems, Transmitting licences are for would-be pioneers.
the
If Sir Kingsley Wood's scheme meets with the response hoped for,|
郾
*
*
10 Fabulous creature that suggests
tax! "tooter" (7).
.
20 Order that may call for rank
improvement (8).
21 In America this is not staged at
Sing-Sing (3),
he re- 22 This fraud might give one quite
D. F.
for of his serieur many member the Count the "TELEGRAPHS" everywhere
If an applicant for a ilcence salis
the authorities intentions, he is given a probation- ery licence, allowing him to own and operate a not in such a manner as not to be heard by the outside world.
After a perlod, generally six months, of such work, the amateur
It will mean that the country will have at its disposal hundreds of really expert men and women who, unlike of auxillary services, will already have undergone A thorough technical training, and who will need little organisation to fit them to play their part in any emergency.
Robert Allen
Turn
23 Nicknuine for the not-so-fine-
schoolboy (5).
33 Sound advice as to a secret or a photo flm (three words-4, 2, 4).
DOWN
This is upt to fall rather hard an pienlekers (4).
3 This grows on a goal (0).
4 Kind of speech one hears in
Kings Langley (8).
This is inevitable when a jury gets on the high horse (8).
6. The unfavourable bulletin (5). 7 The sentry speaks (two words
--4, 0).
Gone for ever (two words-4, 6).
13 The cause of the leak, perhaps
(7).
14 Rather a lowdown delivery, a
batsman would say (7),
15 Bit of the garden that indicates
n
pleasant situation words-3, 2, 5).
16 Futility (10).
(threa
17 The hiker in the rain should
not become this, at least (5),
18 A beastly noise (5).
25 Flattened out from rido (0). 20 Most of this edge the akoter
uses (3),
27 This is just above a foot (8).. 28 Indian town (3).
30 Fruit chopped up in 21 across
(4).
YESTERDAY'S SOLUTION.
"PA" DRAIN 18 LESBEE JENTRBE OP SHAPE BRE SPLITFR DEEP EN
LOR=”L-N
TECEIVE MUFFLER
O HEXTOL EU U PONEMUMMAÏL TIIBONY BE EARNEST TOUGHER
■ NA OVO I DIBTILI
NUTRIA "MUM AMONG BO PARROT MELIXIE ТЕЛЕГЕЙ ВЕВЕСТАТ
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