EDITORIAL NOTES.

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 1, 18 July 1930, Page 6

EDITORIAL NOTES.

THE Radio Exhibition in the Wellington Town Hall, which will be in progress simultaneously with the distribution of this Special Souvenir Number of the "Radio Record," can be heartily commended to the support, not only of listeners in Wellington and surrounding "districts, but to the general public. Those responsible for the administration of the exhibition have spared neither pains nor expense in devising a -display which would be at once harmonious in its nature and effective in its purpose. The setting, we are satisfied from a ~ preliminary inspection, will prove most attractive, and establish a definite new. standard for ventures of this nature. The Postmaster-General, the Hon. J. B. Donald, will perform the official opening ceremony on the evening of July 16 at 8 o’clock. Mr. Donald is-a clear and effective speaker, who is particularly interested in his portfolio. Long before he entered the political arena and attained Ministerial rank, he was himself an enthusiastic listener, and to-day has probably one of the "finest sets in the Dominion. It will gratify listeners to know that so keen a radio enthusiast holds the portfolio that Mr. Donald does. Mr. Donald performed a similar function last year, and took a personal interest in the goods displayed by the trade. We believe that the second venture by the Wellington Radio Exhibition will attract that public support which it so heartily deserves. A CAMPAIGN against radio piracy, whith is being waged in Wellington by the officials of the Post and Telegraph Department, is yielding satisfactory results. Several batches of those who had either failed to renew their licenses, or had never indulged in the privilege of having one, have been hauled before the Court lately with, in some instances, the consequent infliction of substantial penalties. Fines of

up to £4 have been imposed in the more aggravated cases ; while others have been let off with the comparatively small penalty of £1. ‘The point, however, in’ which listeners will take satisfaction is that definite y. attention is being given to the problem of repressing piracy of this / © character as far as possible. Every listener is vitally concerned in seeing that all who benefit by the radio service pay their modicum toward it, It is impossible under ‘the conditions obtaining in New Zealand for the Radio Broadcasting Company-or any other authority which might at any time be charged with the same responsibility-to give that quality. of service desired by listeners without adequate reveriue. The conditions obtaining in New Zealand from a radio point of view are in themselves difficult enough. The country, by its geographical configuration, imposes the necessity of establishing a number of stations at different points, thus multiplying the cost of administration against a State so advantageously situated as Victoria, with its concentrated population round the City of Melbourne. Listeners in general who appreciate the facts of the radio service cannot extend anything but approbation to the department in its effokts to reduce the extent of piracy. It is admittedly difficult to assess the extent of this leakage in revenué, but it is fairly safe to say that if every urilicensed listener paid his fee, there would be a definite substantial gain im revenue, permitting in return fuller service to listeners. ~