RADIO AS A NATIONAL SERVICE

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 24, 26 December 1930, Page 4

RADIO AS A NATIONAL SERVICE

AUSTRALIA has now to her credit an outstanding instance of the usefulness of a first-class broadcasting service. Speeches by the heads of the Government played a very important part in achieving the successful flotation of the twenty-eight million loan required by the Commonwealth of Australia to meet its financial obligations. The leaders’ appeals, as broadcast from the main A stations, drove home to electors the vital necessity of success. The result was that approximately three-quarters of a million is directly credited to radio response. In all probability an even larger sum was actually secured by this appeal into the homes of the people. Naturally, the sums subscribed by radio listeners tended to be small, as those with larger interests who recognised their individual responsibility would take earlier and moie direct means of contributing their quota. What radio listeners lacke.| one way, however, they made up in another-their numerical strength was Guthcient to lift the total number of contributors to the loan to ever IN Great Britain the greatest demonstration of the value of a first-class broadcasting service to the life of a nation was given at the time of the General Strike. Then broadcasting served to maintain essential services and disseminate accurate information, thus enabling the national life to flow on undisturbed in spite of the temporary disruption of the transport service. Australian demonstration of national utility has heen perhaps not quite so spectacular, but, nevertheless, it has heen important and effective. New Zealand has not, so far, made marked use of the radio service in any time of national emergency. There has been a definite shyness on the part of the Government and political

leaders towards full utilisation of this new means of communication, . In the desire to avoid subverting the service to politics, an excess of caution would seem to have prevailed, and occasions when legitimate use might have been made of the service from the national poirit of view }. have been passed. Australia has a different outlook. Australia \ believes in the use of radio. Her Governmental leaders do not hesitate to use the "A" Stations in time of national emergency for the national. good, while the "B" Stations are very liberally used by politicians of all class in political campaigns. We are not desirous of seeing a too liberal use made of the air in New Zealand for publicity and political purposes, but we do think that a more extensive use of radio might be made by national leaders for national purposes. In his recent pronouncement at Auckland, the Postmaster-General, the Hon. J. B. Donald, expressed a desire to definitely improve the broadcasting service for the benefit, not only of the city dwellers, but for the man on the land. The farmer has few facilities for getting in contact with the trend of affairs. At the present time the farmer is face to face with a most far-reaching economic crisis. His position is of national concern. He is natutflly desirous of appreciating to the fullest extent the national implicatiors of the situation. Without touching upon partisanship in politics, we do think it possible for an independent summary of the national position to be given by Government leaders, and we commend that idea to the Postmaster-General, particularly in view of the imminent return of the Prime Minister, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, from attendance at the Imperial Conference. Our point is that the radio service should become an integral part of the national life, and that more vigour and boldness should be shown in its use by those in authority. Britain demonstrate its value, Australia has done the same, and New Zealand in her special circumstances might legitimately do likewise. Radio can be, and should be, more than an entertainment. It should play a definite instructional part in national affairs.