NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20760, 31 December 1930, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Excellent, results by using an nen.il de-tectru-phones-earth circuit, instead of the usual aerial-coil-earth circuit in a. crystal set. .ire claimed by Mr. A. IT. Chappie, of Swnnson. Mr. Chappie states ho can always receive the. Auckland stations at satisfactory strength, while clear reception of Wellington is obtained at times. Tiio neri.il irer] is 80ft. long, the lead-in being about 2- 7 >lt

According 1° the Commerce. Department in Washington, there are about 13.500,000 receiving sets in operation in Ihe United States. This indicates the present, size of the industry. That, the growth has been rapid is best, shown by the fact, that more than 40 years elapsed before, this num ( bc.r of homes were equipped with telephones and electric light. The tenth anniversary of broadcasting was celebrated bv station KPK A, Pittsburgh, last, month.

•\qreement. has now been reached upon the terms of a contract for the. construction near Geneva, for the League of Nations of a, short-wave transmitting and receiving station. The contract, has now been submitted to the Secretary-General of the League. Apart from its telegraphic activities the station is going to send out, ordinary broadcasting programmes on high power, so further developments are awaited with keen interest..

About, half the homes in England and Wales have a. wireless set, which is said lo be at, least, double the proportionate number in the United States, and far more than any other country in* the world. Some 6000 schools are. fully equipped with wireless. The sale of journals devoted to serious and well-presented talks and reviews shows that educational programmes are wanted, especially talks on foreign affairs and philosophy. Study groups are being formed, and they aro in direct weekly communication with the headquarters of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

"Broadcasting is still in its early years and there are no precedents to assist, in forecasting its development," states the annual report, of the 8.8.C. "Once if; appeared likely that, a saturation point, in the number of licences would soon be reached, and it, was often said that, as the novelty wore, off the, country would grow weary of this new invention, and especially might, resent an educational bias. Statistics seem to indicate that, these apprehensions were groundless. So far development, h?s been rapid all along the, line, and there are'no signs of retrogression. It, is, moreover, noteworthy that, leading men and women in every branch of work and thought, have, to an increasing degree, given the 8.8.C. their support,, both at, the microphone itself and in many other ways."