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1937. NEW ZEALAND.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (FOR THE FIFTEEN MONTHS ENDED 31st MARCH, 1937).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly -pursuant to the Provisions of the Broadcasting Act, 1936.

REPORT.

I have the honour to submit the following report on the operations of the Service for the period Ist January, 1936, to 31st March, 1937. For the first six months of that period the Service was controlled by the New Zealand Broadcasting Board, which was abolished on 30th June, 1936, by the Broadcasting Act, 1936. Since the Ist July, 1936, the Service has been carried on as a Government Department. , .. . . „ , , , „,, The most important events of the period under review were the initiation ot broadcasts oi the proceedings of Parliament and the opening of a new 60 kilowatt transmitter at Titahi Bay, Wellington. Receiving Licenses. The number of radio-receiving licenses at 31st March, 1937, was 242,306, an increase of 170,853 over the number in existence when the New Zealand Broadcasting Board took over the Service on Ist January, 1932. As the estimated number of dwellings in New Zealand is 375,000 approximately, it will be seen that about 64 per cent, of the houses are equipped with radio-receiving sets. Hereunder are shown the increases in licenses during the past seven years

Percentage of Licenses to Population. In the Dominion there are now 15-395 licenses per hundred of population. The table below shows the position based on the latest figures obtainable in the seven countries having the greatest density of licenses .

Number of Increase for Licenses. Year. 31st December, 1929 .. .. 50,273 .. 31st December, 1930 .. .. 60,162 9,889 31st December, 1931 . . . • • • • • 71,453 11,291 31st December, 1932 .. .. •• •• 88,993 17,540 31st December, 1933 .. •• •• 113,053 24,060 31st December, 1934 .. •• •• •• 148,284 35,231 31st December, 1935 .. •• •• 183,830 35,546 31st December, 1936 .. .. •• 231,364 47,534 31st March, 1937 242,306 I *58,476 __ * Increase for fifteen months.

Percentage of Country Date to which Percentage refers. Licenses to J * Population. Denmark .. .. 31st December, 1936 .. . • 17-598 Great Britain .. . . •• 31st December, 1936 .. .. H-153 Sweden .. .. •• •• 31st December, 1936 .. •• lo*llo New Zealand .. •• 31st December, 1936 .. .. 14-537 Australia •• 31st December, 1936 .. .. 13-092 Canada 31st December, 1936 .. .. 12-238 Germany .. .. 31st December, 1936 IZ-/Z1