GOVERNMENT CONTROL

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 10, 23 September 1927, Page 5

GOVERNMENT CONTROL

] BRITISH AUTHORITIES TOO SLOW. A. Melbourne writer says:-‘A very pretty position seems to have arisen in England over world-broadcasting. The British Broadcasting Company, now covered with all the dignity of a"Government Department, has announced that it is making researches into the best method of bringing about this desirable and interesting end. Government departments move with iritating slowness, and research itself is a very slow thing. Take two naturally

slow things mutually dependent on each other’s energy, and you have the world’s worst example of procrastination. ‘Meantime an amateur has been busy on the problem aud has applied to the Postal Department for a license for world-broadcasting. This is opposed by the British Broadcasting Co., which oints out that it wonld be a very 1armful proceeding to begin such an important thing before everything was certain. It seems that the protest of the British Broadcasting Co. will naturally appeal to its brother department of the Post Office.

An Object Lesson. "Eerein lies an object lesson for Australia. Ags between q slow-moving pu} lic department and an_ enthusiastic amateur, free from the shackles of red tape it is a good bet that the amateur is likelier to achieve success in bringing to fruition a new process. Gov: ernment controlled monopoly, however, is bound to look with conservative jealousy on such success and to put obstacles in the way of its use. Those who would like to see broadcasting

‘in Australia put under the aegis ot the Government may lay this lesson to heart. The British Broadcasting Co. have not taken the attitude that. the amateur who is secking this world license has failed. They take ‘the easy line that success is more achievable by themselves, with a ‘big pot? as chiet engineer, and afi the time in the world to ripen their scheme, rather than by a fellow who is probably tinkering at a device with pliers and a pockelknife as his only tools, That attitude would smother any private ambition and make radio a close preserve."