SOME FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 133, 2 December 1926, Page 8

SOME FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Mr. Prentice, in an interviow a few days ago, spoke of tho remarkable progress that radio-telephony has made i.n Australia in the past few months. In Victoria in particular, what was at first regarded as a craze has developed into an important factor of the life of the State. There are over ninety thousand licensed set-owners, about twice as many as in New South Wales, and about ten times the number of which New Zealand yet can boast; and registrations ' are still increasing at the rate of many thousands a month. Stations are broadcasting, -with but brief intervals, from 7 a.m. till midnight, and tho radio industry, after many vicissitudes, has become a settled and an important one. Australia has taken up in earnest the manufacture of its own receiving sets, and the majority of those sold in the recent boom are of local manufacture, challenging comparison with American and English importations.

The newcomer was surprised to hear. of the persistence of the howling valve nuisance that so mitigates local enjoyment of programmes. Such conditions are almost unknown across the Tasman, where variety of programme is easily obtainable without forcing a set beyond its limits. Only on occasions when America indicates its desire to broadcast to Australia are howls at all noticeable. A few people get Auckland at times —Mr. Prentice admits to having once tuned in that station — but tho great majority are well satisfied to listen to their own centres.

."Uncle Jack" remarked that it was only on leaving his station, 2BL, that he realised how an announcer wins his way into the hearts of the vast public that he never sees. He was inundated with letters of regretful farewell, and with presents from young and old who must have regarded him as a real relative. The Greek Archbishop of Australasia, himself a radio enthusiast and a linguist, was among tho ship-side crowd who made themselves known in saying good-bye. It was particularly gratifying, too, to receive a sheaf of radio welcomes to Now Zealand on his trip across.