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Exchange of Notes (September 27 and December 19, 1928) recording an Agreement between Canada and The Union of South Africa governing Radio Communications between Private Experimental Stations in the two countries [1928] CATSer 11 (19 December 1928)

E101986 - CTS 1929 No. 3

EXCHANGE OF NOTES RECORDING AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA GOVERNING RADIO COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PRIVATE EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS IN THE TWO COUNTRIES

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The Secretary of State for External Affairs, Canada, to the Prime Minister and Minister of External Affairs, South Africa

DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
CANADA

OTTAWA, 27 September, 1928

No. 10

General the Honourable J. B. M. Hertzog
Prime Minister of South Africa
Pretoria, South Africa

Sir,

I have the honour to inform you that it is desired to enter into an Agreement with South Africa regarding the following matter.

2. The General Regulations annexed to the International Radiotelegraph Convention signed at Washington on November 25th, 1927, and approved by His Majesty's Government in Canada, define the conditions under which communications shall be exchanged between Private Experimental Stations (termed Amateur Stations in Canada) of different countries.

3. The relevant provisions in this connection set down under Article 6 of the General Regulations, read as follows:-

ARTICLE 6

Private Experimental Stations

1. The exchange of communications between private experimental stations of different countries shall be forbidden if the Administration of one of the interested countries has given notice of its opposition to this exchange.

2. When this exchange is permitted the communications must, unless the interested countries have entered into other agreements among themselves, be carried on in plain language and be limited to messages bearing upon the experiments and to remarks of a private nature for which, by reason of their unimportance, recourse to the public telegraph service might not be warranted.

4. Canadian Private Experimental Stations (Amateur) have in the past and are, until the 1st January, 1929, when the new regulations become effective, authorized to exchange certain messages within Canada and with other countries which permit it. Such messages are restricted to those coming within the following general headings, viz:-

(1) Messages that would not normally be sent by any existing means of electrical communication and on which no tolls must be charged.

(2) Messages from other Radio stations in isolated points not connected by any regular means of electrical communication; such messages to be handed to the local office of the Telegraph Company by the Amateur receiving station for transmission to final destination, e.g. messages from Expeditions in remote points such as the Arctic, etc.

(3) Messages handled by Amateur Stations in cases of emergency, e.g. floods, etc., where the regular electrical communication systems become interrupted; such messages to be handed to the nearest point on the established commercial telegraph system remaining in operation.

5. Formal application has now been made to His Majesty's Government in Canada by Canadian Amateurs requesting that they be permitted to handle messages coming within the classes above outlined with South Africa and that an Agreement be entered into in this connection, as provided for under Article 6, paragraph 2, of the General Regulations annexed to the Radiotelegraph Convention of Washington, 1927.

6. I should therefore be glad to learn whether it would be acceptable to South Africa to enter into an Agreement with Canada, as proposed above.

I have the honour to be, etc.,

O. D. Skelton,

For the Secretary of State for External Affairs

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The Prime Minister and Minister of External Affairs of South Africa, to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for External Affairs of Canada

UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA, DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

PRETORIA, 19th December, 1928

The Right Honourable Minister of External Affairs
Ottawa, Canada

Sir,

With reference to your letter, No. 10 dated 27th September, regarding the request of Canadian Radio Amateurs for an Agreement in connection with the exchange of communications between private experimental stations in different countries, I have the honour to inform you that the South African Government is prepared to enter into an Agreement with the Government of Canada to enable Canadian Private Experimental Stations (Amateurs) to exchange certain messages with Private Experimental Stations (Amateurs) within the Union of South Africa.

2. Such messages will be restricted to those coming within the following general headings, viz:-

(1) Messages that would not normally be sent by any existing means of electrical communication and on which no tolls must be charged;

(2) Messages from other Radio Stations in isolated points not connected by any regular means of electrical communication, such messages to be handed to the local office of the Telegraph Company by the Amateur receiving station for transmission to final destination, e.g. messages from expeditions in remote points such as the Arctic, etc.;

(3) Messages handled by Amateur stations in cases of emergency, e.g. floods, etc., where the regular electrical communication systems become interrupted; such messages to be handed to the nearest point on the established commercial telegraph system remaining in operation.

I have, etc.,

J. B. M. Hertzog,

Minister of External Affairs