Radio Development Stifled by Red Tape

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 726, 27 July 1929, Page 9

Radio Development Stifled by Red Tape

WASTED INVENTIVENESS

SOUTHERN MEMBER’S APPEAL

f TBE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Friday. Al *oon as the Imprest Supply debate was under way this afternoon in the house of Representatives, Mr. E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) began to broadcast on his pet subject, which is radio, and he impressed upon the House that the red-tape methods of the Post and Telegraph Department were stifling the Inventive genius of young New Zealanders in the field of research.

Firstly, without being connected with the show or wishing to advertise it, Mr. Howard urged members to visit the New Zealand Radio Exhibition being held in the Wellington Town Hall. There was not, as far as he knew, one piece of the remarkable array of apparatus the product of the brain of a New Zealander, which showed how the Post and Telegraph Department’s red-tape methods were strangling young men and preventing them from making developments in the industry. It was a hard thing to say, but New Zealand was living on the brains of other people and paying dearly for them because Government departments by their policy were preventing developments in science and industry. He did not want to be unfair to the Post-master-General, the Hon. J. B. Donald, as he had just taken over A Voice: He has taken over the rubber stamp. Mr. Howard agreed that that seemed so according to the display given so far by the Minister. However, Mr. Donald had delivered a fine address at the opening of the exhibition—the speaker thought it was supplied by the department; he had made speeches like that himself, and did not mean the remark in a nasty way. Mr. Donald had said that there were 44,000 radio licences issued in New Zealand, and the State was getting £II,OOO a year from them. He would ask the P. and T. Department through the Post-master-General what service the department was rendering in return for that £II,OOO. The motorists paid for the upkeep of the roads, but. got something in return for their expenditure. The Post and Telegraph Department only employed a couple of clerks for issuing the licences and a few policemen to threaten and gather in those who had not paid their fees. LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONY

The next point touched on by Mr. Howard was that of portable sets and the encouragement of their use in long-distance work. He believed some of the sets could be used for telephony. Small sets could be built for £lO and could communicate with Australia. He had been laughed at last year when he had suggested that such a set might be used for Parliament to get into touch with the Administrator of Samoa during the trouble there. These sets could be used in case of disasters, such as the earthquake, and were more reliable than land lines. He urged the Government to investigate the possibilities in this direction. Mr. Howard emphasised the fact that the 44,000 radio sets in New Zealand. costing on the average £3O, were all imported, and if the Government adopted a policy of encouraging radio development, the Dominion would benefit. He went on to say that a scientific bias in the youth of the country was just as important as an agriculture one. The Minister of Education, the Hon. H. Atmore, said that science was included in agricultural training. Mr. C. L. Carr (Timaru) hoped that the Post and Telegraph Department would review its decision and make it possible for young enthusiasts not in good circumstances to pay their licence fees quarterly. He said that as she supplied most of the world’s radio goods, and also produced gramophones and films, America certainly seemed to have won the war. He went on to refer to the B class radio stations, and asked for sympathetic Government consideration of these. LOSING ON THE BUSINESS

The Postmaster-General echoed Mr. Howard’s invitation for members to attend the radio exhibition, and said that he was pleased that radio enthusiasts had such a champion as Mr. Howard. The member for Christchurch South had said that the department was making a good thing out of radio, but actually the department was losing on the radio business. Mr. Howard (shocked and disgusted): But what in? What are they doing? Great Scott! Mr. Donald said that he did not wish to be a stumbling-block to old and young people interested in radio, and he would be pleased to receive any suggestions from Mr. Howard on the subject. Mr. Howard would find that he was not the rubber stamp he thought he was. Also his speech was not prepared for him. He thought that New* Zealand was served fairly well by the radio company, although there might be room for improvement. Regarding B stations, he said that applications made for these would be granted if the department were satisfied that the equipment was good and that the stations would not interfere with others. With regard to a suggestion that some of these stations wished to carry out advertising on the air, Mr. Ronald said that already that question had been gone into and would be considered further on the return from England of Mr. G. McNamara, secretary to the department. The decision would be announced then. Mr. R. Semple (Wellington East): What are you going to do about the fees? Mr. Donald said that that subject could be dealt with later. Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) referred to the lack of New Zealand news on ships travelling from New Zealand to other countries, and urged the Government to do something in this matter.