American Engineer's Agreement to Erect Most Powerful Station in World Mr. R._P. Schwerin, president of the Federal Telegraph Com psny, who arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday, has the main credit of having put through an agreement with the Chinese Government for the erection in Shanghai of the largest radio station in the world. In an interview with a representative of the "N.-C. Daily News" Mr. Schwerin described how he had watched Shanghai for the past 25 years. niting its rapid development. He believes that the radio plant he is about to erect will make it the most important city in the Far East and within 20 years it will dominate the entire Pacific. Shanghai's strategic position in combine ing electrical and cable intercommunication made it the logical choice for the chief radio station of China.
After a year ago last September. after long and often discouraging negotiations, the Chinese Government and the Federal Telegraph Company of America entered into joint partnership to build radio stations in China, their construction to include a high power station in Shanghai, a secondary station in Harbin, and three intermediate stations, one in Peking, in Shanghai, and Canton. The principal station will be of the first magnitude and larger than any other station in the world, meaning by larger, more powerful. The station will consist of the buildings that will be required for power houses, boiler houses, and radio operation, together with a number of houses for the staff, the cost for all the stations being estimated at about 134 million dollars.
The arrangement is that the Chinese Government shall issue bonds for one half of tha enterprise and the Federal Tele; graph Company will set to work to build the stations as rapidly og possible. When the Chinese Government reimburses the American Company for its half of the investment, which it is estimated will be in about 20 years, the "Government will take over the operation of the radio service.
Mr. Schwerin will remain in Shanghai for the time being and his four chief engineers are here with him. Plans have been completed and bids will be received from local firms for the construction work, which will probably take about 18 or 20 months after the work is started. It is hoped to begin within a month. This important undertaking will require a great deal of engineering work and electrical adjustment and a staff of some hundred men will be brought from the United States. The electrical machinery is now being made in -Palo Alto, California. The buildings for the main plant will
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