NUMBER OF LICENSES.

Southland Times, Issue 20488, 16 May 1928, Page 12

NUMBER OF LICENSES.

THE POSITION REVIEWED. Many comments of different natures are being made on the fact that up to April 30 about 25 per cent, of radio licences had not been renewed for the new financial year. That this large percentage will be reduced by late renewals is certain, but to what extent it is not possible to estimate without a knowledge of the factors leading up to the failure to renew licences in individual cases. It is to be expected, of course, that each year a number of listeners will give up radio, quite apart from any question of dissatisfaction with programmes. Telegraphed information from Wellington has shown there has been a falling-off in the quarterly increases in the number of listeners since June last. There is nothing surprising in this. For the quarter ended September, 1927, there was naturally a large increase in the number of listeners owing to Wellington having for the first time a high-power broadcasting station. Now, however, that each centre has its own broadcasting station, conditions are much more stable, and a monthly increase of over 3000 licensees could never be expected.

Experience in other countries has shown that a rapid increase in the number of listeners is the rule with the first establishment of an organised broadcasting service, but later conies the period where progress becomes much slower, a period which we, in New Zealand, are probably approaching. It will, for example, be much more difficult to increase the number of licenses from 60,000 to 80,000 than from 40,000 to 60,000, and it is doubtful whether the latter figure will be reached by the end of next March. A stage is rapidly being reached where more than high-standard programmes will be required to increase the popularity of listening. Active campaigns to introduce broadcasting to the public will be necessary both by the Broadcasting Company and radio dealers, and it would not be too early to make a beginning this winter. HERE AND THERE. The radio operators of the Rawson-Field Museum Arctic Expedition (under Lieut.Commander Donald B. Macmillan), in winter quarters at Bowdoin Harbour, in Labrador Bay, radiocast a message to Chicago, which, in order to let Macmillan know that the message had been received, radiocast it back to him, the round trip taking 40 minutes and covering a total of 3025 miles. An Associated Press cable message, dated February 21, published in the United States dailies, stated: —“King George is having his worries over his radio set at Buckingham Palace just as other radio enthusiasts have their occasional troubles. He explained his listening-in difficulties in a conversation at the British Industries Fair in London to day while examining the wireless exhibits. ‘My wireless set will not get Germany or Paris, and if I try to get Berlin I get London. The London station kills everything else. I want a set that will get foreign stations when I want them.’ His Majesty was shown a five-valve set with a guarantee that he could get what he wants on it, but the fair is not a retail market, and he did not make a purchase.” Evidence from Europe is proving that the operation of many different broadcasting stations using different languages in adjacent countries is leading to a wider knowledge of languages. This process of education, however, is much slower than most people expected, and the full value of broadcasting for breaking down language barriers will probably not be realised until real international services are established. Rather striking work has been done by amateurs in this field, and English has become the only language of international amateur wireless. This is due to a large extent to the fact that the majority of the stations working are in the United States of America, and stations in other countries have had to use the language of the majority. It is now possible to work by Morse code with amateurs in every part of the world in English.