CHURCH SERVICE ROTA

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 121, 24 May 1928, Page 21

CHURCH SERVICE ROTA

A meeting of the 2YA Church Service Committee was held'at the studio of 2YA on Tuesday. There wero present the Eevs. Clarence Eaton (Methodist), P. 6. Harry (Baptist), Pastor Carpenter (Church of Christ), Eevs. C. V. Eooke (Anglican), E. S. Watson (Presbyterian), and Ernest Weeks (Congregational), and the official re-, presentatives of the Eadio Broadcasting Company. . - Mr. Weeks was unanimously elected chairman for the year. Various matters relative to the broadcasting of Sunday services were discussed, appreciation being expressed of the service rendered by the company in this connection. Some time was devoted to the question of the broadcast rota. Mr. Watson expressed the view that the proportional system should be adopted, taking the relative strength of the general denominations as disclosed by the* National Statistics as a basis, and framing the rota in conformity therewith. He had. found from experience that this system worked satisfactorily in the • appointment of chaplains to military camps, and he' had noticed that the broadcast rota for IYA' (Auckland) had been worked out in an agreement founded on the proportional system. He did not suggest that tho system should be applied arbitrarily. Indeed, ho considered, that in the arrangement as made in Auckland, his own church had been, if anything, too generously treated. He thought, however, that in its broadcast aspect the proportional allocation of dates would prove the moro satisfactory. This view was endorsed by Mr. Eooke. Other speakers considered that the efficiency of tlio broadcast service rendered should be the primary consideration, their chief objective being to give tho listening public tho best and most effective service possible regardless of denominational considerations. In substance, their argument was that tho rota should be determined rather by circum- . stances than statistics, and in this connection Pastor Carpenter cited the fact that his was the only church of his denomination that wa.s broadcast from either of the four stations, that in quite a number of cases smaller churches of his denomination scattered throughout the country districts, now linked up with the broadcast servico from his church, and that consequently a rpta based on the proportional principle would mean that his church would only be on the air probably onco a year. After discussion, it was unanimously agreed that the rota in operation since tho opening of 2YA should bo continued for threo months, to permit of- two complete circuits being broadcast before tho question of apportioning\ dates be further considered. It was x>ointed

out that there were one or two denominations which had not yet accepted the company's-invitation, and the postponement of finalising tho rota would enable the matter to be dealt with-more satisfactorily after the decisions of these denominations had been made known. i