tmaster General dated April 1919 it
stated: "We are of the opinion that the number of stations existing in
July 1914 was excessive from the point of view of government control
in case of emergency and the necessity of preventing interference with
government and commercial working; further there was no justification
for it from the point of view of the encouragement of research or
development of industry".

But there was a magnanimous relaxation in the Defence Regulations
when the Post Office notified manufacturers of electrical apparatus
that restriction on the sale of buzzers had been removed. Buzzers
could now be sold without enquiry as to the use to which the purchaser
proposed to put them!!!

During 1919 many issues of WIRELESS WORLD considered "the amateur
position", and a leading article in the March issue began with a
quotation attributed to Marconi:

"I consider that the existence of a body of independent
and often enthusiastic amateurs constitutes a valuable
asset towards the further development of wireless
telegraphy."

In a subsequent letter to the Editor Marconi wrote:

"In my opinion it would be a mistaken policy to
introduce legislation to prevent amateurs experimenting
with wireless telegraphy (which the authorities were
contemplating). Had it not been for amateurs, wireless
telegraphy as a great world-fact might not have existed at
all. A great deal of the development and progress of
wireless telegraphy is due to the efforts of amateurs."

John Ambrose Fleming, the inventor of the diode valve, also wrote
to the Editor of W.W. as follows:

"It is a matter of common knowledge that a large part
of the important inventions in connection with wireless
telegraphy have been the work of amateurs and private
research and not the outcome of official brains or the
handiwork of military or naval organisations. In fact we
may say that wireless telegraphy itself in its inception
was an amateur product. Numerous important inventions such
as the crystal detector, the oscillating valve, the triode
valve--have been due to private or amateur work. If full
opportunities for such non-official research work are not
restored, the progress of the art of radio telegraphy and
radio