Unfortunately we have not space to attempt to give a
précis of the two important letters from Mr. Amery upon the Marconi contract which appeared in the Times on Wednesday and Thursday. We can only summarize the conclusions reached in the last paragraphs of the second of these letters. Mr. Amery maintains that the amended contract is still unacceptable. "The right policy even now," be says, "is to provide at once for that enlargement of the Admiralty expert staff which would enable it to supervise and control directly the construction of the new stations without prejudice to the current work of the Navy." In this way alone would the Government secure absolute liberty to combine the patents of different companies in the most efficient manner, and to introduce changes when efficiency requires them, without any thought of paying unnecessary royalties. This liberty of action is essential in the present transitional state of wireless tele- graphy. In this way also uniformity of system throughout the Empire could be arrived at. The actual erection of the stations need not be by the Admiralty ; and Mr. Amery admits that it may be necessary, for strategical reasons, to proceed at once by contract with the link between England and Egypt. But he presses strongly the view that all future contracts should be put to open tender, and the lowest tender accepted in the normal way, except for reasons which can perfectly satisfy the public.
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