BROADCASTING IN HOUSE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 35, 4 November 1937, Page 3

BROADCASTING IN HOUSE

-Press Association.)

OPPOSITION ATTACK C ' Short-Wave Station for N.Z. Being Considered HAWKE'S BAY COVERAGE

(By Telegraph—

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Ifovisg the second reading of the Broadcasting -Amendment Bill in the House to-day the Postmaster-General (Hon. F. Jones) said there was nothing very far-reaching in the measure. He drew attention to the fact that radio listeners' licenses at the end of September totalled 271,683, which was 50,000 more than for the corresponding period last year. As far as xadio licenses per head of population were concerned, New Zealand was now the second country in fche British Empire and fourth in the world. He thought the increase in the number of licenses indicated public approval of the Government's broadsasting poliey, but he also attributed the increase to the incieased* prosperjty which enabl'ed the people to buy more receiving sets. The Governmnt, he said, had received many appreciative l'ettcrs | concerning items contributed over the , Na'tional Broadcasting Service by overeea artists and he stated that for the three months ended Oetober last fees paid to local artists totalled £9395, while those paid oversea artists were £1572. These figjires would tend to show how 1 local artists were being encouraged. 1 The - Minister contended that the | broadcasting of Parliamentary debates had beeu greatly appreciated and he refuted accusations of unfairness in giving Opposition members opportun* ities to speak'over the air. ' .Dealing with the question of B class stations, :Mr Jones said that out of 22 stations the Government had purchased 18, including the Auckland Friendly JRo.ad. station," and fo.ur had refused to sell. - Mr H, S. S. Kyle: What does the Government iiitend paying for that station. ' Mr Jqnes: I am quite prepared to give .members the figures for that transactiqn or. any other when the Estima'tes are discussed. With regard to subsidies for B class stations, Mr Jones said the Government had considered the matter and had sent out a notice to the stations concerned asking them on what basis ^the subsidy should be paid. He stated it would not be.fair to pay a subsidy if a B class station was being run by a profitable radio distributing business, but the Government did not wish/to foree anyone off the air. He went on to state that the Government -intended -to erect flve-kilowatt broadcasting statiors on the East Coast of the North Island and in the Southlapd district-., These would each cost £35,f)00 and the annual operation costs for each would be £3950. The Southland and Hawke's Bay people would receive'an excellent service from these stations. After they had been erected the Government would proceed to deal with other distriets where the coverage was weak so that listeners in all parts of tiie Dominion would receive value. for their„25s,license fee. The Minister stated that the Government also had under consideration the establishment of a short-wave station in New Zealand. The estimated cost of such a station would be £65,000 and . the estimated annual cost, of operation £11,000. • He nonsidered great advantage was to be gained by giving other parts; of the Empire an opportuiiity of listening to programmes from New Zealand. The matter would be fully gone into during the next 12 months. Mr Jones stated that the question of a conservatorium in Wellington had not yet been finalised, nor had that of est'ablishing a radio journal. Four commercial stations had been established in the Dominion, and they could not cope with the demands for time" that had been made'upon them. He considered the commercial stations and the broadcasting service were offering a very wide selection of programmes, giving listeners an excellent choice; in fact, perhaps a' better choice than any other country in the world, with, perhaps, the exception of Australia. Mr S, G. Holland: Have you any idea of the earnings of the commercial stations for the'year? Mr Jones: I will deal with all that when the Estimates are being considered. T-n answer to another question, he stated that the commercial and national serviees were entirely separate. The commercial service was completely separate, with the exception that its accounts would be subsidiary to the broadcasting account. Opposition Attack The leader of the Opposition (Hon. A. Hamilton) said he suspected from what "the Minister had said that the National Broadcasting Service would be sacriliced for the commercial service. It was high time the Broadcasting Board was brought back, he said, and he considered the Government was trying to legislate itself out of a very awkward sitruation. , He criticised the Minister for not presenting the finaneial position of the Broadcasting Service to-day, and he contended that before the last eleetion the Government had praetically promiscd B radio stations the rights to use advertising or would grant them a subsidy. The Government's aetions in this respeet had been praetically the opposite of what had been promised. In fact the Government's poliey to-day was what ■ Labour had condemned before the • eleetion. He complained of the fact that the. annual roporfc on broadcaatiij.g