RADIO APPARATUS

Southland Times, Issue 19895, 14 June 1926, Page 7

RADIO APPARATUS

BRITISH v. FOREIGN N.Z. CONDITIONS FAVOUR IMPORTED ARTICLE AMERICAN DISCOUNT PLAYS PROMINENT PART. (Special to the Times.) Wellington, June 12. Despite the ten per cent, preference given to radio goods imported from the United Kingdom, it is apparent that the British manufacturers are being driven from the local market. In an interview to-day, the manager of one of Wellington’s biggest electrical importing firms stated that though they represented big British firms they could not get British goods, and that all in their possession had had to be sacrificed. “Conditions are different in England and New Zealand,” he said. “In England there are very big broadcasting stations and they are seldom far from the receiver. They are never more than 400 miles away. British manufacturers mostly have the crystal set which suits their market but does not suit ours. At present the crystal set is practically useless. When the new stations at Auckland and Christchurch are completed, however, they will be of value. “New Zealand has been suffering from very crude broadcasting and many places in this country cannot get the Wellington station at all. Palmerston North, for instance, has failed to pick it up. To-day when people wish to listen to Australia, they must have five-valve sets, which the British firms generally do not make. Americans, on the other hand, are able to supply these sets and they have created a standard socket and it is very hard to get anything else. A good number of people who always seek to buy British goods have been very disappointed in sets which they have obtained, though some of them chose them in England.” Another supplier with wide experience in British manufactured appliances said that radio in New Zealand was in a very disappointing position. It had been very hard to get any satisfaction concerning the Auckland station and finally Wellington dealers had formed an association of their own to take concerted action. Originally, the completion of the station had been promised for the end of January, but it was still unfinished. Now it was believed that masts were going up and that the installation of plant might take place fairly soon, but it seemed very doubtful whether the station would be ready by the middle of next month as was promised. Plant for the Christchurch and Dunedin stations also was reported to be on the way. When broadcasting in Britain had commenced there had been a regulation that no receiver might interfere with another. This regulation had aimed at the prevention of listenera-in from employing a direct reaction coupling on the aerial but, after a time, this regulation had been cancelled and manufacturers had included a coupling in their new sets. They had had to so in order to compete with the Home-made set. This coupling did not comply with the New Zealand regulations which had adopted the principle which Britain had abandoned. “Inspectors or no inspectors, receivers will continue to aim at greater distances,* said an expert in discussing the matter. The big reason for the way in which American goods were driving out the British was the; American system of discounts which were sometimes three times as great as those of the Motherland manufacturer. Some American valves could be sold five shillings cheaper than British valves and still return much better profit.