Auckland Radio Exhibition

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 17, 8 November 1929, Unnumbered Page

Auckland Radio Exhibition

-* A Successful Display Largely Patronised ia an age where specialisation is the. keynote of: industry and ‘imvention, progress, in all branches of science in particular, is being made with such bewildering rapidity as to render. cognisance of each succeeding achievement well nigh impossible. We are living in a mechanical age of limitless possibilities, the visioning of which even twenty years ago would have brought down a storm of ridicule upon the unfortunate prophet. Perhaps the most startling prophecy which could have been made, would have been the prediction of present-day radio in = all its forms. Perfection of radio has been attained with increasing rapidity during the past few years, until now new developments .are succeeding one another: with so little delay that some means whéreby the. public can envisage at a glance the new improvements made, has had to be devised. The best solution to this problem is the popular exhibition such as that held last week in Auckland.

ere ie -_- oe ~~ * © O better testimony to the growth } and popularity of radio in New Zealand could be given than the -exhibition organised by the ‘Auckland Radio Dealers’ Association. This was held ir. the ‘ Auckland Town Hall from October 30 to November 2, The exhibition was striking, not only for the quality and variety of modern radio apparatus on view, but also for the number of stalls and the obvious interest’ shown by the public. "Long before the opening of the doors of the Town Hall on the opening night, a long line of waiting visitors had collected, and when at about 7 p.m. the doors were opened, a continuous stream of people poured into the hall and the gallery. The limited space before the model studio soon became filled by a crowd curious to see the interior of a broad- . casting studio, and also to listen to the relayed speech of the Hon. J. B. Donald, the Postmaster-General, who, though in Wellington at the time, formally opened the exhibition. His speech was relayed by long-distance telephone, broadcast by 1YA, and picked up by receivers in the hall. By the provision of loudspeakers, the opening remarks of the PostmasterGeneral were clearly heard by the expectant crowd assembled at the exhibition. The Hon. J. B: Donald’s Address. "Although I am unable to be present it gives me the greatest pleasure to be able .

to participate in the opening of the exhibition," remarked the Minister. "Those of us who have possessed receiving sets for any length of time have now come to'regard wireless as a matter of course and a part of our everyday lives," he continued. "Those who are listening to me, are, of course, already interested in the subject and do not need to be ‘converted, but I hope that every one of you will try to secure fresh converts, because the more listeners there are the better the programmes that we can expect. Better’ programmes bring still more listeners, and I am looking forward to the effective nation-wide extension of the service. In the meantime, we can with confidence expect a higher and higher standard of entertainment, information and education." Increase in Licenses. AUREADY the total number of licenses for the Dominion was very close to fifty thousand. Wellington district headed the list with 19,480, and Auckland stood at 15,519 at present. If the Auckland exhibition was as successful as those held in, Wellington and Dunedin, the number of Auckland licenses should show a big increase in the next few weeks. Mr. Donald said the Post and Tele- © graph Department was out to do all that it possibly could to assist in the development of radio in the Dominion. Departmental telephone lines were’ used 4 great deal for the relaying of concerts between_,

different centres, and three Icng-distance toll lines were now so very efficient that the most excellent results were’ being obtained. The Department was at present considering means for further extending this service. " Elimination of Interference. "YY SHOULD like to express now my appreciation of the way the radio dealers have always met the Department in its desire to ensure that the sets sold would not produce interference with neighbouring listeners. All receivers, before being offered for sale, are submitted for examination, and the Department has tested well over two hundred different types. With anything like reasonable care none of these now on the market should ever cause any trouble. License Reduction Authorised. "Now I should like.to say a word to the amateur transmitters. Some little time ago, when they met me in Auckland, they told me that they would appreciate a reduction in the fee charged them, and I now have pleasure in stating that I have authorised a reduction from 2 guineas to 30/-, which is the same as that charged for any other receiving set. I hope this will be an encouragement to them, because I realise that from their experiments there is always the chance of important discoveries’ being made." _--Continued on page 4.