RADIO SERVICES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24369, 3 September 1942, Page 2

RADIO SERVICES

! At long last the Government has; 1 decided to do something about the . lover-lapping and duplication of radio S sendees, causing waste of effort and lof manpower at a time when it is f urgently needed for more essential j work. The technical branches of the I National and Commercial Broad- ! casting Services are to be amalga- | mated. Thus tentatively and timidly ] a beginning is made. It is over a •vear since consideration was first; j given to the possibility of releasing j ' technicians so that their skill and i qualifications could be made avail- f i able to the armed forces. The Minis- j j ter in charge of the department said I publicly last December that someI thing would be done, and hinted that | there might be some curtailment of j j services. Now, about nine months ; I later, definite action has been j j promised. The Minister says the] elimination, for the duration of the ~ I war, of every superfluous function of j j broadcasting is being considered. ] : The time to consider it is* past. It j | should be done without further j delay. It is true that, in a compara- j tively few years, listening to the f wireless has become an established] part of nearly everybody's daily life. : ! It does not follow that a community j j the size of New Zealand needs a { choice of several stations —often i one another with con-j ! tinuous broadcasts for a ionger daily i ! period than most people's waking J j hours. Broadcasting services sprang ; j up in this country without any real j j order or system. Even when they 5 ! were wholly taken over by the j State, there was no attempt at; j thorough rationalisation. It is true | some stations were closed down, but j a large degree of overlapping was suffered. Whatever defence could be put up for the situation in peace* time, there is none with the war j demanding all available manpower, j There is room for economy, for curtailment that everybody should readily accept as a necessity of war: conditions.