AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1930, Page 12

A USTRALIAN NEWS.

The Chamber of Manufacturers of New South Wales is considering what further action it can take with the object of having the apparatus • for additional relay stations ■ required by- the. Post, Office Department made in Australia. Mr. E. T.- Fisk, managing director of Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia), Limited, stated recently that his board was investigating the statement by the Postmaster-General that his company's tender was £55,000-dearer for five stations than the accepted tender of the overseas company, Standard Telephone and Cables (Australasia), Ltd. The tender- in the first- instance was for five relay stations,- but the Post Office-Department, in its contract with the Australian Broadcasting Company, Limited, provided for the supply of programmes to any number of relay stations up to IS within a period of three years from the acceptance of that company's' tender for the supply of -programmes. - On the basis of the present contract for. five relay stations the 18, when erected, will have cost almost £350,000. The relay station at Beresfield, near Newcastle, will soon be ready for operation, although the broadcasting company has not been informed when it is to relay programmes there from the Sydney studios. The call sign of the Newcastle station will be 2NC, and its

wave-length 211 metres, which will be lower on the dial than that of 2UW, but not as low as the “B” station at Newcastle, which has been fixed at 200 metres. The power of 2NC will bo 2000 watts. Throe additional “B” stations have been licensed in New South Wales—2AY, Albury, 227 metres, with a power of 50 watts: 2MO Gunuedah, 200 metres, with a power of 50 watts; and 2XN, Lismore, 224 metres, and a power of 50 watts. In addition, there are to be three new 4< B” stations in Victoria, two in Queensland, and one in Tasmania. The Increase in licenses for the Commonwealth of Australia for the month of June totals 870, which brings the number of licenses in force to 312,102.

Every State with the exception of Victoria, which decreased, by 100!) licenses, showed an appreciable increase. .Following are the increases for the various States:—-New South. Wales, 571; South Australia, 281; Queensland, 538;- Western Australia, 203; Tasmania, 286. A striking example of the growing interest aroused in. listeners and playwrights by radio drama,: is. given by the tact that the International Office of . Broadcasting at Geneva, . of which the Australian' Broadcasting Company is an associate' member,' has recently distributed to the organisations.' who

are members of'the International Union of 'Broadcasting a library of radio dramas. These have been specially written or adapted from works already in existence.’ They comprise about 835 different plays which have been broadcast by the aforesaid members of the organisation during the last eight or nine months. Of those 835 plays, 200 have been specially written for broadcasting, and the majority of the remain-ing-635 are adaptations from all'classes of works, plays and novels. An “Omar ■ Khayyam Phantasy” will be presented from IYA by Mrs. Zoe Bartley-Baxter on August 26, when the story will, be told in both words and music. The “atmosphere” of the Orient, will be conveyed to listeners by street noises and appropriate sound synchronisation. Mrs. Baxter will also present on the same evening a ‘‘Comedy of Three Centuries,” which will consist of excerpts from comedies of the ISth,19th and 20th centuries.

The transmitting power of station WGY; Schenectady, New York, appears to be like the Customs duties on cigarettes —always growing. Four yeans ago its power was 50 k.w.; in* two years the power had become ICO k.w.; in January last it was 150 k.w., and it now boasts 200 k.w., with which it transmits on a wave-length of 380 metres (700 k.c.) It has.six 100 k.w. power .valves, each 5 feet long, and is crystal-controlled.

In connection with recent developments in many countfies concerning the use of radio for police work, it is interesting to learn that as far back as October, 1922, a receiving set was fitted in a. patrol car of the Victorian Police Department. A telephone transmitter was installed at the Melbourne radio stations, Reception in the car proved excellent, and the success of the installation in assisting the police to prevent crime and capture criminals wa.s such that in the following year (.1923) two fast patrol cars were each fitted with wireless for use round and about Melbourne. ■ -