RADIO SERVICE

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 November 1945, Page 3

RADIO SERVICE

' DISCUSSION IN HOUSE WELLINGTON, November 22. In the House of Representatives, speaking to the Broadcasting report, Mr Richards (Govt., Roskill) said that listeners in Auckland had reported interference with the Parliamentary broadcasts, interference which sounded like “someone blowing a very powerful whistle.” He asked that an investigation be made. He would support a reduction in the license fee only when the equipment of the broadcasting service was modernised. Mr S. W. Smith (Nat., Bay of Islands) hoped the Minister would hasten, the day when broadcasting could be used for the discussion of controversial subjects along the lines of the Australian broadcasts, and, in this manner, afford further education for the people. He supported freedom of speech over the air in the broad; casting of controversial matters. He asked if the switching of Parliamentary broadcasts to another station could not be obviated. Mr Herron (Nat., Awarua) pleaded for better radio services for people in the backblocks, who paid the same fees as city listeners. Mr McCombs (Govt., Lyttelton) urged the inclusion of New Zealand news in the programmes for internal consumption, and use of the radio to propagandise New Zealand overseas as a tourist resort, As fai' as controversial subjects were concerned, people had the advantage of listening to Parliament, and the fact that its proceedings were broadcast was one of the greatest things, done to educate people on the political life of the country. Dealing with the allegation, of interference with the Parliamentary broadcasts, Mr Jones said it was quite possible that this was due to power leakages. Mr Polson (Nat., Stratford): Or tuning? Mr Skinner: One of the worst sources of interference is trams. Mr Jones said he was quite. prepared to look into the complaint. Outlining broadcasting plans for the future, *Mr Jones said it was estimated that the cost of new buildings required would be about £743,000 and replacement of plant £155,000. The provision of relay lines would cost £30,000, and the establishment of two short-wave stations £240,000,

He had already given instructions to see if the Parliamentary proceedings could be broadcast without a break. “If we are to give decent programmes, then people will have to pay for them,” he said. He did not think people were complaining about the cost of the license, and he believed that the cost of broadcasting to New Zealand’s population was just as great as the amount required to give service to ten' minion.