Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 22 January 1932, Page 4

Approximate figures that have been compiled show that something like one New Zealand family in every six owns a radio .set. The number of licenses issued for the fianeial year up to November 30 was 69,008, against 02,407 licenses in existence at the end of March last. Owing to licenses not being renewed the number dropped to below 46,000 by the end of April, ond from then o n t n the end of November there were nearly 24,000 registrations. The figures to the end of December are not yet complete, but as the end of the financial year is drawing near no great increase is to be expected. There are prosecutions occasionally ol tliosi who bare installed wireless set* and have negle. fed to lake out a I i reive. but, it is officially considered that there is comporutivclv little rsa?o piracy in New Zealand. i’hc Post and Telegraph Department rclie>- upon inI'ci'mkit lon an<l observation to detect unlicensed li.-ietters-in. I lie lacis tli.d, radio dealers are required to take the in in*' and address ol nisloiuei s pmdialing radio equipment and that inspectors of the department regularly inspect these registers, make I he risk nl delect ion 100 great P> be neglected. It is coiisidccd that most of fbe <>ifenders are those wlm make up their own crystal nds- a fairly simple l limiter and tie e who purchase secondhand sets p ivately, of which the do partmeiiL re vives no r vird. ('T" 'M's of the department are always on the I,ink-out for thus - who are evading payment of tin? license fee, the penally iiiuler the Act being £6O, although the tines vary from £1 to £o.

The department possesses a van which i« engaged in detecting interference of any kind, and when the source is discovered little difficulty is encountered in getting the matter put right. There are so few unlicensed sets in use in New Zealand tint it has not been found necessary to adopt the course taken in London of sending loud detecting vans. This method was adopted about October last, when the Post Office organised a 'hunt to trap radio pirates. A newspaper man went in one of the five detecting vans to a. quiet road in North London. The engineer stopped the van opposite some houses which appeared aerialless, and for some minutes listened on a pair of telephones attached to a receiver, while a companion rotated a circular hoop aerial oil the roof of the van. Finally lie said lie said lie certain there was a wireless .set in. each house. At the first house the owner had a portable set—and a newly-acquired license. At the second a. wife admitted that her husband had made a set four and a half years ago. He used ail indoor aerial.