BROADCAST POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 80, 1 October 1931, Page 22

BROADCAST POLICY

A CANADIAN REPORT

In 1929 tlie Canadian Government, realising Ihe necessity for putting the broadcasting system of the Dominion in better order than existed under a system of competitive private control that had, growed up like Topsy, set up a Royal Commission to investigate the matter. This Commission made a very extensive find exhaustive inquiry, largely carried out by actually visiting a number of European countries as well as the United States, so that its findings represent. an opinion founded upon the careful collection and examination of a large amount of evidence. The following extracts from its report are of direct interest in New Zealand at the present-time: "The Order-in-Council appointing us contains tho suggestion that the desired end might be achieved in several ways provided funds are available, viz.: (a) The establishment-.of one or.more groups of stations operated by private enterprise in receipt of a subsidy from the Government; (b) the establishment and operation of stations by a Govern-ment-owned and financed company; (O. the establishment and operation of stations by Provincial Governments. "We* have examined and considered the facts and circumstances as they have come before us. As our foremost duty, ViC have conccntiatcd our attention on the broader consideration of the interests of the listening public ana s of the nation. From what wo have learned in our mi estigations and studies, wo are impelled to the conclusion that these'interests can be adequately seivcd only by some form of public ownership, opeiation, and control, behind which is the national power and prestige of the whole public of the Dominion of Canada. "The system we propose does not fall within the e^act categoiy of any of those suggested in the Order-in-Coun-cll, but is one which might be regarded ai» a modification of (b). . . . As a fundamental principle, we believe that any broadcasting organisation must be operated on a basis of public service. The stations pioviding a service of this kind should bo owned and operated by one national company. Such a company should be vested with the full powers and privileges of any pri\ate enterprise, its status and duties eoriespondmg to those of a public utility." The Commission outlined a scheme for the construction of a "company" consisting of twcho members, three tepiesenting the Dominion of Canada and one representing each of the nine provinces, the method ot appointing the dncctors to be decided between the Dominion anrl provincial authorities. The Commission's recommendation in rcgaid to financo was that the necessary tunds should be provided partly by licence revenue, partly by rental of ' time for advertising purposes,- and partly by a subsidy from the Govern-. | ment, the amount of subsidy suggested , for the fast five years being 1,000,000 I dollars (say £200,000) per annum.