RADIO A PEACEMAKER

Evening Star, Issue 22446, 17 September 1936, Page 10

RADIO A PEACEMAKER

DOMINION TO HAVE SHORT WAVE STATION REGULAR TRANSMISSIONS OVERSEAS £Fbou Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, September 17. The Prune Minister stated to-day that lie expected the first commercial radio station in the Dominion would be in, operation within a fortnight, as it was possible to acquire one of the Auckland B stations, and ho saw no practical difficulty in respect to the question of staff. Another new and important development in New Zealand’s broadcasting policy was indicated in the Prime Minister’s enthusiastic advocacy of the establishment of a short wave station to transmit overseas suitable programmes from the Dominion. “ I have a vision of a time when New Zealanders will be heard abroad just as we hear other countries speaking to us through the medium of radio,” he continued. “ We want to break down the artificial barriers that exist between countries, and I know of no better medium than radio. I am hoping that the time is rapidly approaching when everything that waps mean will be wiped out because people will understand each other. By the use of radio we have a chance of being understood.” The Prime Minister was unable to state definitely when the short wave station would be established, as he suggested that there was so much to do in connection with the radio policy that breathing space must be allowed to the Government. Answering a suggestion that the short wave broadcasts would be undertaken in more than one language, the Prime Minister remarked that short wave radio without a linguist would be like a bird with one wing. As for the use of the powerful new 60kw Wellington station, Mr Savage said the present intention was to use it for parliamentary broadcasts, while at the same time he would not be so dogmatic as to say that the other main stations would not be used occasionally for the same purpose, though the big station seemed to provide the greatest chance for covering the whole of the Dominion.