WIRELESS IN EVERY HOME

Otago Witness, Issue 3590, 2 January 1923, Page 22

WIRELESS IN EVERY HOME

BROADCASTING TO BEGIN. NEW INTEREST IN DAILY LIFE. “Broadcasting bus come, and this exhibition marks its advent,” said Sir Henry Norman, the leading authority on wireless telegraphy, when speaking at the All-British Wireless Exhibition, which lie formally opened at the Royal Horticultural Hall. “There are those,” he added, "who look upon it as a new fad or a passing stunt that will amuse people for a time, and then will be dropped like ‘ping-pong’ or ‘put-and-take.’ They are wrong. It is destined to become as integral a part of our social life as the ordinary telephone is to-day. The receiving sot will be as familiar and general a household object as the gramophone. So far from this being a passing craze, I am convinced that few of us have vet imagined the scope and importance of its application. In a month or two it will be the chief topic of ordinary casual conversation. In a year or two we shall have ceased to speak of it as it will have become an accepted commonplace of our daily life.” Sir Henry Norman criticised the press in regard to what they called the “hold-up” of wireless broadcasting; He was surprised, he said, not at the delay, but at the speed at which this gTeat undertaking had been arranged. There had not been an hour’s avoidable delay either on ’the part of the Postmaster-general or on the part of the companies. Twenty firms had applied for permission to broadcast, and it woe a very delicate task to co-ordinate all those interests and arrange a common working formula for the lions and the mice, and devise a set of double harness that should not hamper the one or over-weight the other. He understood that the capital of the company—£loo,ooo—was guaranteed by the six important companies that would undertake the broadcasting. The great difficulty had been how to bring the smaller firms into working partnership with the larger firms, hut this problem had been suceessfulv solved. He was given to understand that it was the intention to offer the public a really high-class programme of music, entertainment, and instruction. “In fact,” he said, “I hope and believe it will be the’ best of its kind in t.he world, and I am particularly glad to know this, as it is the foundation of the success of the whole scheme. If people should buy receiving sets and hear what it unsatisfactory or rubbish, the scheme will fail. It can only succeed if it really delivers first-class goods.” WIRELESS AND NEWS. Sir Henry regards the question of the broadcasting of news as very important. The collection and dissemination of news was a highly technical business. It was carried out with unfailing efficiency by newspapers and agencies, and broadcasting of news could only be made by' an amicable arrangement between newspapers and the broadcasting companies. All these things would have to be settled. Everything depended on a first-class programme. If that were given, he believed receiving sets would be demanded faster than they could be produced. He believed half a million people would be wanting them. The world was witnessing one of, the most striking scientific and social events of the century. In a few weeks the radio programme of the day would be the chief subject of conversation. “Clara Butt will be singing at 10 to-night, and George Robey will be heard at half-past six. Rudyard Kipling will recite a new ballad at seven o’clock.” One Sunday morning the question would be, “Shall we go to church, or shall we hear the Bishop of Birmingham at home ? To-night, Einstein propounds his theory.’ Or we may decide not to be too gay. and “will listen to Dean Ingle for half an hour.”

FUTURE POSSIBILITIES. If these were possibilities for towns, concluded Six Henry, with their many amusements. let people imagine what wirelese meant to tlxo village or village hall. it would carry out communications round the globe, guide our ships to port, and bring them help in peril. It would enable our pilots to steer safe courses through the trackless fields of air. It would catch the criminal, entertain and educate the people, tell the farmer when to haivest his crop, and induce people to return to the land. It would link up the Empire. With this marvellous development of amplification anything was possible. We could imagine the time when a Cabinet meeting would be held at Downing Street, and there would be telephones to Canada and India, and a very loud sounder for Mr Hughes in Australia*. The final exploit and triumph would he when the King addressed simultaneously all the Parliaments of the Empire. Th© optimistic view of the future of wireless, which Sir Henry took, was reflected in the exhibition. Not only was the hall full of visitors, but a queue of nearly 1000 were waiting at one period for admission. Many novelties were on view ,and receiving sets varied from small complete apparatus for the reception of near-by broadcast at a cost of four to five guineas, to magnificent drawing-room receivers, the price of which ranged up to £l5O. Doud speakers and amplifiers, combinations of radio receiver*! and ordinary gramophones, and new kinds of transmitters were on view. A wireless “museum” is shown by Marconi’s who have on exhibition relics of the wireless days of 25 years ago.