BROADCASTING PLANS.

Evening Star, Issue 25620, 22 October 1945, Page 4

BROADCASTING PLANS.

Little surprise should he felt by the authorities that the National Broadcasting Service comes so frequently under attack from the listening public and members of Parliament. For several years it has been stated that the service has prepared elaborate plans for post-war expansion, but even in the face of strong criticism from the Opposition in the House of Representatives last week,- the Acting Minister of Broadcasting was content to speak in the vaguest terms of what the future holds for listeners. As the grandiose proposals show no signs of early materialisation,'' it is p'robable that most listeners think that an improvement in the standards of what they already get for their license fees is more important than the nebulous schemes which apparently cannot be implemented for some years. Under private, corporate, aiid finally State management, the service has been in existence for almost 20 years, and considerable . progress has been made in that time, but in some elementary aspects broadcasting remains much as it was. For instance, the programmes, notably in Dunedin, often suggest that no serious attempt has been made totrain programme organisers in the complexities of their task, with the result that the arrangement of features designed to please listeners with special interests frequently fails because the organisers, obviously know less about the subject than some of the listeners. Announcers also require a special training, as their work is vulnerable to the keenest criticism. Staff shortages in war time may have made such schemes impracticable, hut they are two questions which should receive the closest attention when the man-power position improves. In the r debate, the Minister attempted to justify the retention of the present license fee, described by one member as the highest in the world, on the grounds that future plans involved considerable, capital expenditure and an extension .of the programmes, which, ho said, would he restricted if the license fee were reduced. The department lias now accumulated a reserve of £1,500,000, and the present service costs rather less than half the annual revenue. As it seems unlikely that such a huge sum for capital expenditure could lie spent within a short time, it must be assumed that the reserves will continue to accumulate. In its financial policy, tho Broadcasting Service-has departed from general principles of public finance whereby the persons receiving benefits pay for them as they get them. The Minister’s argument that the service is well worth the fee is beside the point. The fact is that the listener pays 25s for a service which costs about 12s 6d, and there is no evidence available at present to suggest that the service ever will cost 205,. particularly as the department continues to be vague about its future intentions. Mr Sullivan virtuously reminded the House that the previous Government had fixed the charge for the license, but he conveniently omitted to mention that when liis predecessors reduced the fee from 30s to 25s in 1935 the number of receiving sets in the country was less than half the present total, and the revenue was only £220,000 compared with £435,000 in the latest financial year. Conscious of these facts, listeners may be inclined to ponder whether tho service has shown an improvement commensurate with the increase in funds subscribed by the public.

r Messrs Percy Brothers’ flour mill, tho 100-year-old landmark on the Western Hutt road at Petonc, was destroyed by fire on Saturday evening. Tho Petono Brigade was called unsuccessfully. “Pure vandalism,” said the Mayor of Petone, Mr H. Green. “ A ranger was there at 6 p.m. and found everything in order, and that was not long before tho fire. The ranger says there have been two past attempt to set fire to Percy'Brothers’ mill.”

Tho Government has agreed to hold a conference to investigate the Auckland waterside workers’ claims as soon as they resume normal work. In a telephone interview with - the ‘New Zealand Herald ’ from Wellington last night, the Acting . Minister of Labour, Mr O’Brien, said he had conveyed this information to tho secretary of the Auckland Trades Council, Mr W. Ashton, on Saturday morning. He had not yet received an answer. The “ go-slow ” policy continued on Saturday morning, and all the men left tho ships before 10 o’clock, instead of the usual knock-off time at noon.

There are prospects for the expert of about 500,000 cases of fruit duwng the coming season. This information was given by Mr A. C. Ward, representative on the New Zealand Fruit Marketing Council, when reporting to .a meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association. He said that the Hawke’s Bay share in that export would be about 100,0P0 cases, the balance of 400,000 cases being allocated to Nelson. Mr Ward said he did not think there would be a reversion to tho pre-war conditions under which the industry handled its own exports. Instead, the Government would take the fruit as a bulk purchase. Mr Ward announced that the average payout on the Hawke’s Bay pip fruit crop for 1945 would he Gs 2.67 d for apples and 6s 10.84 d for pears, giving an overall average for apples and peas ef 6s 41 d. As the Dominion average was 6s Id, the Hawke’s Bay growers were 3Jd better off than growers elsewhere. _ Last year the Hawke’s Bay production was 727,579 cases. Tho launching took place at Port Chalmers on Saturday of a 58ft trawler designed and built by the owner, Mr George Brassell, of Lyttelton, who is well known in yachting circles as the skipper of Canterbury contestants for the Sanders Cup. The ceremony was performed in the presence of a large gathering, including, representatives of the yachting organisations on Otago Harbour. After a brief service, which was conducted by the Rev. M. Brassell, who is a cousin of tho owner, the chocks were knocked away and Mrs G. Brassell broke a bottle of champagne squarely on the bow of the vessel as she slid quietly, and without a splash, into the harbour. During the afternoon selections were provided by the Port Chalmers (Marine Band.

The Caledonian, Brighton, Dunedin, Green Island, Roslyn, Taieri, and West Harbour Bowling Clubs held the official openings of their greens for the season on Saturday afternoon. Oneday tournaments were held on a number of greens to-day. In most cases the play was the first of the season, for, though most of the clubs have held their opening ceremonies, the surfaces, softened by much rain, have not been fit for use.

Tho High Commissioner for New Zealand in Britain, the Hon. W- J. Jordan, delivered a broadcast address on the duties of his office last evening, a personal and intimate talk on tho multifarious tasks of his staff of over 100 men and women. Referring to war-time activities, he said that efforts were made to keep in touch with New Zealand servicemen scattered all over England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and many inquiries were received from relatives regarding their welfare. The duties of the office were multitudinous, but they were all capably handled by the loyal and competent staff he had under him. Thirty-seven Otago men of the R.N.Z.A.F., who reached Auckland on Saturday from the Pacific arrived at Dunedin at 7 o’clock this morning by tho night express from Christchurch, and 26 others proceeded oil the train to stations south of ! Dunedin. The quick' arrival of tlicso men at their homes was made possible by their being flown in Air Force transports to Christchurch. The Mayor (Mr D. C. Cameron) was on the station to welcome the servicemen, and the chief traffic inspector (Mr E. H. Barrett) had motor cars to take, the Dunedin men to their homes. 'Mr Barrett was not able on this occasion to bring the next of kin to the station because he had not been supplied with the names and addresses.