F.—l.

and consequently, in March, 1935, Parliament passed an Act entitled the Broadcasting Amendment Act; 1934-35, which from the beginning of April brought about the following changes : — (1) An increase from three to seven in the membership of the Broadcasting Board, provision being made for two of the members to be appointed from persons nominated by organizations recognized as being representatives of the holders of receiving licenses in the Dominion : (2) The abolition of the Advisory Council consequent upon the enlargement of the Broadcasting Board : (3) The transfer to the Broadcasting Board of the supervision of programmes transmitted from stations not operated by the Board : (4) The limitation of the number of licenses for the operation of broadcasting-stations not operated by the Board to the number in force at the date of commencement of the amending Act. Broadcasting Board. Oil the 18th December, 1934, the appointments of Messrs. G. R. Hutchinson and L, R. C. Macfarlane as members of the first Broadcasting Boa.rd expired. Thereupon their appointments were extended to the 31st March, 1935. From the Ist April, 1935, in accordance with the provision in the amending Act for increased membership, the following were appointed to the Board : William Hollis Cocker, George Rowland Hutchinson, Henry Gillies Livingstone, James Leinster Passmore, Ernest Palliser, Seymour Kenneth Phillips. Messrs. Cocket and Livingstone have been appointed for a period of four years from the Ist April, 1935 ; Messrs. Phillips and Passmore for three years ; and Messrs. Palliser and Hutchinson for two years. Messrs. Palliser and Passmore were selected from persons nominated by listeners' organizations. The Chairman of the Board is Mr. H. D. Vickery, whose original term of appointment does not expire until the 18th December, 1935. Advisory Council. In accordance with the provisions of the Broadcasting Amendment Act, 1934-35, the Advisory Council ceased to exist on the 31st March, 1935. Private Broadcasting-stations. The number of private broadcasting-stations in operation at the 31st March, 1935, was twentythree, being two less than at the end of the previous year. Station 4ZF, Dunedin, discontinued operating on the 31st July, while Station 3ZE, Greymouth;, went out of existence on the 11th January. Reduction op Receiving License Fee. On the Ist April, 1935, the amount of the radio receiving-station license fee was reduced from £1 10s. to £1 ss. The reduction was made possible by the termination of the agreement under which 3s. out of every license fee was paid to Messrs. Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia), Ltd., in respect of patent rights controlled by that company, and by the acceptance by the Broadcasting Board of £1 3s. instead of £1 ss. in respect of each license. Receiving Licenses. The following table showing the growth in the number of radio-receiving licenses illustrates in striking manner the every-increasing popularity of radio reception in New Zealand : — Number of licenses at — 31st March, 1924 .. .. .. .. .. 2,830 31st March, 1925 .. .. .. .. .. 4,702 31st March, 1926 .. .. .. .. .. 3,588 31st March, 1927 .. .. .. .. .. 18,162 31st March, 1928 .. .. .. .. .. 39,315 31st March, 1929 .. .. .. .. .. 44,616 31st March, 1930 .. .. .. .. .. 53,192 31st March, 1931 .. .. .. .. .. 62,467 31st March, 1932 .. .. .. .. .. 74,745 31st March, 1933 .. .. .. .. .. 93,217 31st March, 1934 .. .. .. .. .. 117,784 31st March, 1935 .. .. .. .. ..152,489 The fee for a receiving license was increased from ss. to £1 10s. on the Ist May, 1925, which accounts for the slight decrease at the end of that financial year. The percentage increase in the number of licenses between 1934 and 1935 was 29-4. On the 31st March, 1935, the number of licenses per hundred of population was 9-9. The figures quoted in the table above do not include free licenses issued to blind persons. The number of licenses issued to the blind at the 31st March, 1935, was 319.

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