RADIO LICENSES.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18365, 24 April 1925, Page 13

RADIO LICENSES.

TO THE EDITOR OJT "THE PBXSS.** Sir,—May I, after reading "Disgusted Juvenile's" letter regarding radio Ik-cnscs, beg a little, spate to express my views on the subject. To start with, the licenses have risen from Ss to 30s per annum, which fact in itseif is surely unfair. This fee is the highest I have ever heard of. At our complaints we wore informed that the concerts in the future were to be organised and run by a body known as the Sow Zealand Broadcasting Company, which is erecting' a broadcasting station in each of the four centres, and that the concerts were to consist of news items, lectures, orchestral, and vocal items, and general entertainment. Now in England, Europe, America, and Australia, the radio programmes are just the same as this, and the license fee in England docs not exceed lws, in Australia 20s, while in America there are no license fees at all. Nor, Sir, can it be called fair when wo stump up our 30s, and in return get what "D.J." states —pianola rolls and gramophone,records on "Xo. 1 and No. 2 instrument," and an occasional orchestral item shoved in? And in some crises the interval between the items is twice as long as the items themselves. Such a state of affairs can never do any good to radio, which was a popular and fast-spreading pastime.—Yours, "' BADIO ROBERT. Christchurch, April 21st, 1925.