TELEVISION FOR PUBLIC

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 August 1936, Page 3

TELEVISION FOR PUBLIC

PIONEER’S PLEA FOR AMATEURS

WASHINGTON. June 25

An appeal that television should be made available to the public as soon as possible was made to-day by Mr P. T. Farnsworth, Vice-President of Farnsworth Television Incorporated. He is one of the pioneers of television in the Uited States.

He was speaking before the Federal Communications Commission, appointed to evolve regulations for controlling this new form of entertainment. He strongly disputed the theory of many experts that television should not be presented until perfected.

“It seems," he said, “to be the general belief that the baby must be born with a beard.’’

At first, he added, it would be technically impossible to sell home television sets for less than £5O each. He urged that amateurs should be allowed to follow in the footsteps of those who had helped to develop wireless in its early days and take part in the perfection of television by building their own receivers.

It was his belief that television presented no more difficulty than did radio in 1921 and 1922. He admitted, however, that amateurs would have to buy many parts from manufacturers.

If attempts were made to withhold television from, the public until sets could be marketed ready-made and without flaws, uncontrolled manufacturers would produce and offer for sale sets of inferior quality. “While we recognise fully the force of what has been said as to the necessity for caution in the inauguration of television,” he concluded, “we question whether it is within our ability to control its progress.”

Other witnesses have maintained that the public should bo protected against investment in companies fraudulently claiming that they are in a position to manufacture television sets which will'give perfect results.