WIRELESS IN BRITAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20425, 29 November 1929, Page 13

WIRELESS IN BRITAIN.

GROWTH OF BROADCASTING.

IMPROVING THE STATIONS.

TELEVISION PROGRAMMES.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received November 28, 5.35 p.m.) British Wireless. RUGBY, Nov. 27. Wireless matters were discussed during a debate in the House of Commons last evening. / The Postmaster-General, Mr. H. B. Lees-Smith, said he had no intention of changing the system of licensing private stations for receiving broadcast programmes. The total of the licences now issued for brc-.dcasting sets was 2,859,000 and the number was increasing. It was expected that the figure of 3,000,000 would be reached before long.

Questions had been raised as to how tho British Broadcasting Corporation proposed to finance the new liigh-power regional stations which, when completed, would makn alternative programmes available to listeners on the most simple receiving sets. The answer was that it had considerable reserves out of which it could finance those stations.

With regard to television the Post-master-General said it had been agreed to allow the Baird Television Company the right to use the broadcast stations for half-an-houi* daily for five days each week, out of the broadcasting hours. The transatlantic wireless telephone service was steadily progressing. The question whether the fees should be further reduced was under consideration.