BROADCASTING POLICY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 209, 4 September 1931, Page 6

BROADCASTING POLICY.

Discussion on the first reading 1 of the Broadcasting Bill in the House of Representatives last evening indicated that some members were not satisfied with the first draft of the Bill, for the reason that it did not sufficiently define the membership of the proposed Board. The objection has not a great deal of force. As the Bill stands, it is certainly vague in this detail, but that vagueness will give the House an excellent opportunity to itself define the constitution of the authority and to prescribe the method of its appointment. The point was raised that the listeners must be given representation; it is eviderit that they will, if only for the reason that this medium of service and entertainment has grown to such an extent that every potential member is already a listener. The main principles of the Bill are in accord with those of the British system, which has set a standard to which other nations aspire, but which none of them has reached. The Bill introduced last night is in agreement with the principles of broadcasting for service and not for profit, and lines which have proved so triumphantly successful in Britain should have some measure of success here. Broadcasting is not a utility suitable for competition; the Board will be able to limit any suggestion of that. Its revenue will enable it to operate without cost to the State, and it will' be required to return its whole revenue to the public by way of service.