BROADCASTING

Otago Witness, Issue 3611, 29 May 1923, Page 23

BROADCASTING

O AUTHOR'S RIGHTS IN DANGER. LONDON, May 25. A meeting of the Society of Authors passed a resolution to the effect that the members should refuse to permit extracts from their works to be broadcasted with out permission and the payment of a fee. A broadcasting company recently wirelessed a story by Mr W. J. Bell without permission. Mr Beli claimed and received 15 guineas as compensation. Mr Bernard Shaw said that any author who gives anything for nothing is a blackleg. He thought it might be worth while for authors to erect their own wireless in order to see if their copyrights are being infringed. CONFERENCE IN MELBOURNE. MELBOURNE, May 25. A conference of representatives of companies and organisations interested m wireless broadcasting, convened bv Mr Gibson, Postmaster-General, has opened. Mr Holtz (general manager of the Argus) said that the newspapers, as news distributing agencies, were gravely concerned in the proposals regarding news distribution. The collection and preparation of news involved great expense, and when it was made public it should not become the property of a broadcasting company to incorporate in its service. No objection would be made to supplying news for broadcasting on a proper business basis.

The conference agreed to affirm the principle of establishing decentralised broadcasting services and to give authority to independent companies to underLake those services on a commercial basis. A committee was appointed to draft regulations. Mr Fisk (managing director of the Amalgamated Wireless Company) stated that the broadcasting scheme, if carried out in Australia in the same way as it is in England, would necessitate the establishment of 200 stations at a cost of £4,000,000 annually. May 26. A memorandum prepared by members of the press was accepted. It recoin mended that a condition of every license issued should be that every licensee should recognise the exclusive ownership of news or intelligence collected by any news service by the full acknowledgment of its use and by full consent in writing beforehand, and upon such payment as might be agreed to between the licensee and the newspaper or agency concerned. Regulations were agreed to determining the number of wave lengths to be allotted for broadcasting purposes, these to be selected in respect to the suitability of stations of various power and for' the standardisation of receiving apparatus. The conference affirmed the principle of preference to Australian, British, and foreign manufacturers in that order.

The Postmaster-General stated that he will consider the decisions of the conference forthwith and frame regulations for broadcasting at the earliest opportunity.